Students protesting coaching centre deaths detained

A few students were detained after they staged a protest in Old Rajinder Nagar in New Delhi on Sunday, demanding action against those responsible for the deaths of three civil services aspirants at a coaching centre in the area, and compensation for their families.

Raising slogans 'we want justice', the protestors blocked the road next to the Karol Bagh Metro Station, causing huge traffic snarls in the area and prompting police intervention.

A scuffle erupted between the students and police, after which a few protestors were detained and taken away in a bus.

Following this, many demonstrators dispersed from the area and police resumed the traffic movement there.

The police also used body camera and drones to monitor protestors' activities during the demonstration.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M Harshavardhan said since Saturday evening, the road in Old Rajender Nagar was blocked by students protesting over the incident.

"We understand their (protestors') sentiments and are engaging with them constructively so that the protest remains peaceful. Around 2.30 pm on Sunday, some students blocked both carriageways of Pusa Road near the Karol Bagh Metro Station, which is an arterial road with many hospitals in the vicinity," the DCP said.

"Both police and administration repeatedly requested the students to not block the main road. Since they refused to clear the main road even after an hour, they were removed from there, considering the massive public inconvenience and blockade to nearby hospitals," he added.

Shreya Yadav of Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam in Kerala died after the basement of the building housing the coaching centre Rau's IAS Study Circle was flooded following heavy rain in central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area on Saturday evening, officials said.

At the protest site, Aman Saxena, a civil services aspirant and a coaching student, said, "If the authorities will not accept our demands, we will go to the Jantar Mantar to further protest and press our demands."

"We just want justice for the three students who lost their lives in this incident. Police personnel and paramilitary forces have been deployed here in huge numbers. We are not terrorists, we are the future of the nation and demanding what is right," Saxena said.

Another student claimed that there was a biometric entry into the basement where the incident occurred the students got stuck in the basement due to its failure.

Another protestor said the matter on poor condition of coaching institutes should be addressed in Parliament.

Amit Kumar, another student protestor, urged that the incident should not be politicised.

"We are demanding that following accountability, action should be taken against the guilty, and justice and compensation for the families of deceased. This matter should not be turned into a political issue," Kumar said.

The protestors also accused the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the incident. They raised slogans against the civic body and demanded its commissioner met them.

Mohak Gupta, another coaching student, said, "We have come here to study and students want a safe environment for exam preparation. The condition is same at every coaching institute. When mock tests are being held, thousands of students sit in the basement areas to appear in those tests."

"We had hoped of a change in the condition of coaching centres after the fire incident at the coaching institute in Mukherjee Nagar, but nothing happened," Gupta said.

Gunaseelan, a resident of Tamil Nadu who is also a student of a coaching institute in the area, said students are spending lakhs of rupees but not getting proper facilities.

"I have come here from Tamil Nadu for UPSC coaching. We are spending lakhs of rupees and not getting proper facilities. My family heard about the incident and they called me. I assured them that I am fine," he said.

The deaths of the three civil services aspirants have sparked outrage among students and demand for accountability from the Delhi government.

Students of Rau's IAS Study Circle and other institutes have expressed voiced their anger over the incident, highlighted safety violations at coaching centres across the city, and raised questions over the 'negligence' of the Delhi government.

A student, who did not wish to be named, said Delhi authorities showed 'negligence' when there were similar incidents in Mukherjee Nagar and did not take any strict action even then.

He also highlighted last week's incident in Patel Nagar, where a civil services aspirant got electrocuted in a waterlogged street following heavy rain in the national capital.

Another student said, "There is a systemic problem in these coaching centres with a lack of interest in safety measures."

"There are no fire exits or emergency exits. Those with a bright future are at risk. We want to serve the nation by joining the bureaucracy, and if the system doesn't work for us, we will lose faith in it," the civil services aspirant said, as she urged locals and fellow students to join the cause.

Authorities confirmed that a call about waterlogging was received from the Rau's IAS Study Centre around 7 pm.

An officer of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said, "We received a call at 7 pm regarding a basement of a coaching institute being flooded. The caller told us there is a possibility that some people were trapped."

Preliminary investigations revealed that the basement housed a library where several students were present when water suddenly started flooding the area.

Meanwhile, police said the owner and the coordinator of the coaching centre where the deaths occurred were arrested on Sunday.