Tragic Flooding at Delhi Coaching Centre Claims Lives of Three Aspirants

Three civil services aspirants died at a Delhi coaching centre after its basement flooded due to heavy rain. Rescue operations faced multiple challenges. The owner and coordinator of the centre have been arrested and booked for various charges, including culpable homicide.

Three civil services aspirants tragically lost their lives after the basement of a coaching centre in central Delhi flooded following heavy rainfall, Delhi Fire Services officials reported on Sunday. The basement had been repurposed as a library/classroom against fire safety regulations.

''At around 7.10 pm, the call came in from the area magistrate. While it was not a fire emergency, we dispatched five fire tenders on humanitarian grounds,'' stated DFS chief Atul Garg. The main challenge for rescuers was the high water level inside the basement, which equaled the street level due to the torrential rains, hampering immediate evacuation efforts.

The firefighting team faced a delay of over half an hour waiting for the water to drain naturally off the streets, before finally beginning the rescue operation. The building lacked a proper pump, and the fire department’s machines struggled with the high water intake. Compounding the issue, the centre's basement had been falsely registered as a storage room instead of a classroom.

Authorities have arrested the coaching centre's owner and coordinator, charging them with culpable homicide among other violations. An FIR has been initiated under sections 105, 106(1), 115(2), 290, and 35 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. ''We detained Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh in connection to the incident,'' confirmed Deputy Commissioner of Police M Harsha Vardhan.

This tragic incident highlights the dangers of violating safety norms and the need for stricter enforcement to prevent such occurrences in the future.