Rau Incident – Basement becomes a Death Trap for IAS Aspirants

As Delhi grieves for those who died, those in charge need to take strong action to fix these widespread problems and win back people’s trust in how safe buildings are. Story by : Avani Kulshrestha 

On July 27, 2024, a tragic incident occurred at the Rau IAS Study Centre in Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi, when heavy rains caused the coaching centre’s basement to flood. The flood killed three students and put many others in danger. This disaster has prompted people to ask important questions about how safe coaching centres in the city are and if they’re ready for emergencies. The victims have been identified as Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni, and Nivin Dalwin, all of them UPSC aspirants. Rescue operations failed because of the perpetual flooding in of water in the basement.

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This underscore bigger problems with safety regulations. The basement of the Rau IAS Study Centre, where many students were attending classes, turned into a death trap as water rapidly filled the confined space. Eye-witnesses said there weren’t enough emergency exits, and the building’s drains couldn’t handle so much water. This carelessness highlights a bigger problem with how the city maintains drainage. In the wake of this tragedy, it is imperative to ask: Where was the oversight? How could a coaching centre, a place meant for nurturing the minds of future bureaucrats, operate with such glaring safety hazards?

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and other regulatory bodies are answerable to the people for allowing such unsafe conditions to persist. The event has sparked outrage and demonstrations from students, parents, and community groups. They insist on measures against those at fault and immediate changes to prevent similar disasters from occurring again. As of now, the police have taken seven people into custody, including the owner and coordinator of the Rau IAS Study Centre, but this is only the beginning of the quest for justice. Authorities have filed a case under sections 105, 106 (1) 115 (2), 290, and 35 of the BNS.

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This legal action targets the coaching institute, the building management, and those in charge of maintaining the drain in that area. So far, the police have held the owner and coordinator of the coaching centre, and they continue to look into the matter. This tragic incident should serve as a wake-up call to not only the educational institutions but also the governing bodies, and the need for stringent safety regulations and their rigorous enforcement cannot be overstated.

It’s essential to make sure that the places meant to shape future leaders are safe, secure, and good for learning, free from the fear of such disasters.

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As Delhi grieves for those who died, those in charge need to take strong action to fix these widespread problems and win back people’s trust in how safe buildings are. What’s being done to check and control other coaching centres in Delhi to make sure they’re safe enough? How will those in charge help the families who lost loved ones and make sure this never happens again? It is imperative the government and the concerned authorities look into the matter and prevent such tragic incidents from happening again.