Following the Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD)'s crackdown on coaching centres for violating building bylaws, institute owners instructed students to vacate the basement libraries on Monday.
On Sunday, the MCD sealed the basements of 13 coaching centres in Karol Bagh due to these violations amidst ongoing student protests. These included 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.
Meanwhile, Sahil, a protesting student, said that they had been sitting there for the last two days, but none of the MCD officials had come to meet them. “We submitted our demands to the DCP yesterday - seeking information about those who are deceased, those who are admitted to hospitals, copies of FIR, the action that is to be taken and compensation of ₹1 crore to the family of the deceased and ₹50 lakhs to those injured...but none of it has been addressed.”
Speaking with ANI, DCP Central M Harshavardhan confirmed that five more accused have been arrested in this case, bringing the total number of people arrested in the case to seven. The arrested persons include the basement owners and an individual who drove a vehicle that appears to have damaged the building's gate.
“Whoever is at fault in this incident will not be spared. We are taking strict action against those responsible for the incident and maintaining law and order in the area,” DCP M Harshavardhan says to ANI.
Furthermore, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said that it's not about blaming. “MCD is under AAP, and that party has also ruled Delhi for the last 9 years. Incidents like this happen yearly, but AAP has found no concrete solution to tackle this issue. Those officers who are responsible for it must be severely punished to avoid repetition of such incidents in future... Mere sealing a few coaching institutes won't help have a long-term solution,” Khandelwal said.
Three students tragically lost their lives after the basement of a coaching center for IAS aspirants in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar was inundated following heavy rains. The students had previously raised concerns about the mandatory biometric access required to enter the libraries, many of which were situated in basements.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh termed the incident“very unfortunate”. “Many coaching centres are running libraries and classes in their basement illegally. Action will be taken against the officials who are involved in it...The officials are not working, and it is the responsibility of LG of Delhi to take action against them. I want to ask the BJP why are they punishing the people of Delhi?.... They took away the right to transfer the officials and now when it comes to taking action they (BJP) are conspiring with the LG of Delhi...We will expose them,” said the leader.
"What happened on July 27 was that the biometric got blocked, which caused students to get trapped inside when the basement wasflooded with water. This tragedy could have been averted," Manish Kumar, a student, said while speaking to ANI on Monday.
Student protests persisted into the early hours of Monday in Karol Bagh, with demonstrators making several demands. They called for action against coaching centers and owners operating libraries in basements, the introduction of a rent regulation bill or code to manage excessive rent and brokerage, and the implementation of insurance coverage or a grievance redressal mechanism for students.
Additionally, they urged the government to take measures to prevent waterlogging and electrocution during rainy conditions in the area. In response to the incident, the Delhi Police have arrested the owner and coordinator of the coaching centre, charging them with culpable homicide and other offences.
(With inputs from agencies)
