Delhi Coaching Centre Crackdown: MCD Seals 13 Institutes After Tragic Basement Deaths

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sealed at least 13 "illegal" coaching centres in Old Rajinder Nagar after three civil service aspirants tragically died in the flooding of a coaching institute's basement.

The action, continuing till late Sunday night, came in response to the deaths of Tania Soni, Shreya Yadav, and Navin Delvin, who perished when water suddenly inundated the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle on Saturday evening.

Photo Credit: PTI

The sealed coaching centres include IAS Gurukul, Chahal Academy, Plutus Academy, Sai Trading, IAS Setu, Topper's Academy, Dainik Samvad, Civils Daily IAS, Career Power, 99 Notes, Vidya Guru, Guidance IAS, and Easy for IAS.

MCD Mayor Shaili Oberoi's order stated, "These coaching centres were found to be operating in basements in violation of rules and they were sealed on the spot and notices were pasted."

Rau's IAS Study Circle had already been sealed by the police, and its owner and coordinator have been arrested and charged with culpable homicide.

Tania Soni, Shreya Yadav-both aged 25-and Navin Delvin, 28, lost their lives when water flooded the basement being used as a library in violation of regulations. Many other students trapped in the waterlogged basement were rescued after a seven-hour operation.

Tanya, who came from Telangana, belonged to Bihar's Aurangabad. She was a student at Delhi University and had been in the coaching institute for one and a half months.

Shreya, from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar, had done her BSc in agriculture and joined the institute two months ago.

Navin, from Ernakulam in Kerala, was pursuing a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University and had been with the institute for eight months.

Investigations have revealed several lapses by both the coaching centre's owner and civic authorities. Rau's IAS Study Circle obtained a No-Objection Certificate from the MCD in August 2021, which stated the basement was for parking use and household storage.

It also received a fire department NOC earlier this month, specifying that the basement should comply with building bye-laws, including adequate drainage and multiple exit ways. The Rajinder Nagar coaching centre had only one entry/exit point.

Locals blamed the poor drainage system, heavily clogged with silt, for the flood-like situation following the rains.

The coaching centre owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh are in 14-day judicial custody.

Police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 105 (culpable homicide), 106(1) (death by rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), and 290 (negligent conduct regarding construction).