On Saturday night, July 27, UPSC aspirants tragically lost their lives when the basement of RAU’s IAS Study Circle Institute in Old Rajender Nagar (ORN), Delhi, was flooded due to heavy rain. The incident has sparked widespread outrage, with aspirants demanding better infrastructure and accountability. The tragedy has also reached discussions in Parliament.

“This has become a political blame game, but no one is ready to address the real issue at hand,” says aspirant Nitin Kumar. Nitin and other eyewitnesses claim that the official death toll of three is misleading, as they have seen more bodies removed from the basement.

“Saga of State Negligence with Nexus of Politicians, Officers, Coaching Owners, and Local Mafia…. Three aspirants are officially dead, but eyewitnesses report 6-7 more serious casualties…. The administration would hide real figures, facts, and circumstances leading to the accident. CCTV footage and the exact presence of aspirants in the basement need to be made public,” wrote the UPSC & Other Exams Fraternity of Delhi in their statement which they shared with EdexLive.

According to official records, the three deceased aspirants are Shreya Yadav from Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana, and Navin Dalwin from Ernakulam in Kerala.

The flooding occurred after the gate to RAU’s IAS Study Circle broke, allowing water to rush in. The basement, housing 20-25 students at the time, quickly filled with water. CCTV footage is being reviewed to determine the sequence of events, and investigators are recording statements from individuals present at the time. Students allege that a malfunctioning entry-exit biometric system trapped the victims in the basement.

According to the reports, the initial probe points to two main reasons for the incident — failure to clear roadside drainage and the illegal use of the basement as a library without a proper drainage system.

All Indian Students' Association (AISA), Delhi, released a statement on this incident where they pointed out that allegedly, the death toll is higher than reported. Further, they wrote, “Concerns have been raised multiple times over the structure of the underground libraries in the area and the preparedness of the drainage system. Despite that, most of the institutes continue to operate with underground libraries and reading rooms.”

Protests have been ongoing since Sunday, July 28. “They are also demanding better infrastructure at these institutes, an improved drainage system, and overall improvements for the aspirants in Delhi,” says Sumit Thakur, another protesting aspirant.

Various student unions in Delhi have joined protests in Old Rajender Nagar, demanding better infrastructure and accountability.

“Currently, 2,000 to 3,000 students are protesting. Yesterday (July 28), many were detained but were released shortly after. Today, at 5.30, students plan to march from ORN to RAU and protest in front of the institute,” informs Kush Chaturvedi who has been actively protesting against the incident.

On July 28, the Delhi Police registered a criminal case after completing search and rescue operations. Two individuals — coaching centre owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh — have been arrested and remanded to 14-day judicial custody, charged with culpable homicide and other offences.

In response to the incident, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sealed 13 coaching centres operating in basements and announced the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the flooding. Reportedly, a month prior to the incident, complaints about the illegal use of the basement were filed with the MCD, with reminders sent on July 15 and July 22.

Sumit Thakur points out, “As per MCD guidelines, you are not allowed to build a library in the basement. The institute was only permitted to build a storeroom or parking, but they have been operating the library illegally. In fact, RAU is not the only institute with a library in the basement; 90% of the coaching institutes have their libraries in the basement.”

This is not the only incident costing student lives at UPSC coaching hubs in Delhi. Earlier this year, a fire incident at an institute in Mukherjee Nagar trapped students for hours. A few days ago, a student in Patel Nagar died from electrocution. Students claim that such repeated incidents highlight a larger problem of negligence by these institutes.

“The incident underscores the callous disregard for human life by coaching institutions and civic authorities. The sheer greed in the business of coaching chains and the extreme level of inefficiency and corruption among the civic body personnel should be exposed. While we grieve for the loss of our own, we also rage against the systemic and deliberate ignorance which led to it," wrote the Democratic Student Front of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), in their condolence message for the death of Nevin Dalvin, who was also a PhD scholar at the School of Arts and Aesthetics at JNU.

Students claim that these institutes lack proper emergency exits or safety measures in cases of calamities. “This incident proves that to these institutes, an aspirant’s life is dispensable. Students demand accountability and liability for such incidents,” says Nitin Kumar.