New Delhi, July 28: In a tragic incident, three civil services aspirants allegedly drowned at a coaching centre in central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar after heavy rainfall caused flooding in the institute's basement on Saturday evening.
The incident occurred at Rau's IAS Study Circle on Bada Bazar Marg.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Harsha Vardhan confirmed that the victims included two women and one man. The students were identified as Taniya Soni, Shreya Yadav, and Naveen Dalvin, all aged between 25 and 30.
The rescue operation, conducted by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Delhi Fire Services (DFS), led to the recovery of the bodies in the early hours of Sunday. The bodies have been preserved at a city mortuary for postmortem.
According to a senior police officer, around 30 students were inside the coaching centre when the flooding began. While 13 to 14 students were rescued and taken to the hospital, others managed to escape on their own.
DFS Chief Atul Garg stated that the fire control room received an emergency call at 7 PM about the incident. Five fire tenders were dispatched to the scene, where rescuers found significant waterlogging in the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle.
By 10:30 PM, rescue teams had recovered two bodies, and the third was retrieved around 1:30 AM. DCP Vardhan mentioned that the basement was dark, further complicating the rescue efforts, and that the flooding appeared to have happened very rapidly.
Delhi Minister Atishi has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident. A magisterial inquiry has been mandated, with a report to be submitted within 24 hours.
"I am monitoring the situation closely. Those responsible for this incident will face consequences," she stated.
