Delhi police form multiple teams to probe incident

Delhi police have registered an FIR and formed multiple teams to probe the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre flooding incident which killed three IAS aspirants.

“Multiple teams have been formed to investigate the entire incident. We have asked the Delhi Fire Services to provide us with a report about the building and the basement which was being used as a library but mentioned as ‘store room’,” a senior police officer said.

The officer further said the basement was 8 feet below the ground level, and more than 18 students were present in it on Saturday evening when it got flooded after heavy rains.

According to sources in the police department, the gate of the basement was closed, but due to the high pressure of rainwater, it got damaged and water gushed in.

“We are checking CCTV footage from the area to ascertain the sequence of the events. After scanning the CCTV footage, we will identify the people who were standing close to the institute during the time of the incident and will record their statements,” said the officer.

Deputy Commissioner of Police M Harsha Vardhan said, “We have registered an FIR at Rajinder Nagar Police Station under sections 105 (culpable homicide), 106(1) (death of any person by doing any rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide), 115(2) (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down, repairing or constructing buildings) and 35 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an investigation.”

So far, two people — coaching centre owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh — have been arrested, he said.

The FIR, registered on the statement of Sub-Inspector Dharmender Kumar Sharma, stated the owner of the coaching centre, who was present there at the time of the incident, failed to produce the documents required to run a library in the basement.

The owner also accepted that there was no drainage system in the basement, it said.

“After receiving a PCR call about flooding in the basement, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Birender was rushed to the spot,” the FIR stated.

The ASI saw the area waterlogged with the parking area under 3 feet of water. He immediately informed the SHO of Rajinder Nagar police station and brought the matter to the notice of the fire department and National Disaster Response Force, it stated.