Delhi Coaching Centre Deaths: ‘Pumping Out Water Was Very Difficult…’; Firemen Detail Challenges Faced During Rescue Op

On Saturday night, three civil services aspirants died after being trapped in a flooded basement of a building, part of a coaching centre, which was inundated due to heavy rains.

Delhi Coaching Centre Deaths: Multiple challenges were faced by Delhi Fire Services (DFS) sleuths during the rescue operation at a coaching centre in central Delhi where three civil services aspirants died after the basement was flooded due to heavy rains.

DFS chief Atul Garg said they rushed five tenders to the centre for a rescue operation, even though it was not a fire-related incident.

“It was around 7.10 pm, when we got a call from the area magistrate about the rescue operation. Though it was not a fire-related incident, we rushed five fire tenders on humanitarian grounds,” Garg told news agency PTI, adding that one of major challenges for the DFS rescue team was to pump out the water from the basement.

“Our pumping machines can pump the water out… But due to heavy rain, the water level on the road and the basement was equal. When we started pumping out the water, it again gushed at the same location,” Garg said.

He said the firemen had to wait for over an hour to drain the water accumulated on the streets due to heavy rain, and as the water got drained naturally, the firefighters immediately launched the rescue operation by draining the water from the basement.

Garg further said that there was no pump in the building to pump out the water.

In the NOC from fire department, the owner of the building showed the basement as store room, but the owner violated the fire norms and was using the store room as library/classroom.

“We have registered an FIR at the 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) (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,” a senior official said.

“So far we have arrested two people — Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh of the coaching centre,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police M Harsha Vardhan.

On Saturday night, three civil services aspirants died after being trapped in a flooded basement of a building, part of a coaching centre, which was inundated following heavy rain in central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar area.

(With PTI inputs)