New Delhi: Four coaching institutes have announced financial help of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the three UPSC aspirants who lost their lives Saturday in the flooded basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar.
Tania Soni (25), Shreya Yadav (25), and Navin Delvin (28), drowned when water accumulated in the basement following heavy rainfall.
The institutes — Vajiram & Ravi, Drishti IAS, NEXT IAS and Sriram’s IAS — have also offered to accommodate RAU’s students in their classes following the closure of the coaching centre.
“With profound sorrow, we express our deepest condolences to the families of the departed students. We pledge to offer free admission to affected students from Rau’s IAS Study Circle for the 2024 and 2025 exams and contribute Rs 10 lakh to each bereaved family as a gesture of solidarity,” Vajiram & Ravi stated in a press release Friday.
Popular coaching teacher and YouTuber Vikas Divyakirti, head of Drishti IAS, was repeatedly questioned on social media about his silence on the students’ deaths. After protesting students reached Divyakirti’s residence, he expressed his condolences and announced financial aid.
“Expressing profound sorrow and solidarity with the bereaved families, the institute emphasises on the urgent need for improved safety measures in student accommodations,” Drishti IAS stated Friday. It further announced financial contribution of Rs 10 lakh to each family affected by the tragedy and pledged to cover the educational expenses of the siblings of the deceased students.
NEXT IAS also announced financial support for the affected families.
In a statement Thursday, NEXT IAS said that while no amount of financial support can compensate for the loss of lives, it had committed Rs 10 lakh to the families of Shreya Yadav, Tania Soni and Navin Delvin.
The statement further offered to admit students from RAU’s institute who were affected by the incident into NEXT IAS courses.
Raj Malhotra IAS has offered scholarships worth Rs 60,000 each to 50 students from economically weaker sections.
UPSC students are out on the streets in anger and have even clashed with the police. A delegation met with Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) authorities this week to discuss the poor safety measures at several coaching centres, among other issues.
The MCD and Delhi government have also announced Rs 10 lakh each for the bereaved families, while Rau’s has pledged for each family Rs 25 lakh immediately and an additional Rs 25 lakh within six months or upon the bail of the CEO who was arrested this week.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)