Delhi coaching centre deaths: Basement owner among 5 more held in coaching centre flooding incident

Pic/PTI

Delhi Police on Monday said it has arrested five more people including the owner of a basement in a four-storey building where three IAS aspirants died after it was flooded following heavy rains, reported news agency PTI.

With these arrests, the total number of people arrested in the Delhi coaching centre deaths case so far has gone to seven.

The owner and the coordinator of the Rau's IAS Study Circle in the Old Rajinder Nagar area have already been arrested, and booked for culpable homicide and other charges in connection with the Delhi coaching centre deaths, reported PTI.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M Harsha Vardhan said each floor of the building is owned by a different person, reported PTI.

"Five more persons have been arrested in connection with the flooding case in Rajinder Nagar. This includes the owner of the basement and an individual who drove a vehicle which appears to have damaged the gate of the building (leading to water gushing in the basement)," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M Harsha Vardhan said, reported PTI.

The police said the car waded through the rainwater due to which the water flow increased and the door of the basement got knocked down.

The police are committed to ensuring strict action against all those responsible, the officer said.

Meanwhile, the student protests in Delhi's Karol Bagh continued on Monday morning after a flooded basement at a coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar claimed three lives.

Three students died after the basement of the building housing Rau's Study Circle in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar was flooded following rains.

Earlier in the day, the owners of the institutes asked students using the basement libraries to vacate after the MCD initiated action against coaching centres violating building bye-laws.

The MCD sealed the basements of 13 coaching centres in Karol Bagh on Sunday for violating building bye-laws amid protests by students. Mayor Shelly Oberoi has directed strict action against coaching centres operating illegally in basements.

The body of Nevin Delvin, who was among the three civil services aspirants who were killed after the basement of a coaching centre here was flooded following heavy rain, was handed over to his family on Monday after post-mortem, reported PTI.

The bodies of the other two students were handed over to their families on Sunday. Devlin's body was handed over to his maternal uncle Linu Raj at RML hospital and then taken for embalming.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)