New Delhi: Nearly 300-400 aspiring civil servants took to the streets of Old Rajinder Nagar in protest Sunday, bringing traffic on Pusa Road to a grinding halt at Karol Bagh metro station for about an hour. After attempts to convince protesters to vacate fell short, Delhi Police personnel were seen forcefully removing them from the street.
One protester removed from the spot told ThePrint, “They (police) can only harm students. We are peacefully asking for those responsible to be held accountable.
“We are the future of this country. The exam itself gives us a lot of trouble and now the system and authorities are adding to the stress.”
The protests were triggered by the deaths of three UPSC aspirants from drowning in the flooded basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle, a coaching centre, in Old Rajinder Nagar the previous day. As ThePrint reported earlier, Rau’s IAS Study Circle only had permission to use its basement as a storage space, but had instead set up a library in that space.
Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar is home to nearly 100 coaching centres, and also to thousands of aspiring civil servants who come here from different parts of the country for their UPSC preparation. “From brokers to coaching institutes, no one follows the norms here. As many as 500 students take class in one hall with a single exit. Many incidents have happened in the past as well,” another aspirant at the protest site Sunday told ThePrint.
Before the police removed them forcefully, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M. Harshavardhan was seen talking to protesters and taking note of their concerns.
In a letter handed to the IPS officer, protesters demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore each for the families of those who died due to drowning.
They also demanded that they be made aware of the exact number of casualties from the incident Saturday evening, and that all food courts, paid guest accommodations, hostels and other commercial establishments operating from basements in the area be identified and shuttered.
Further, in light of the death by electrocution of an aspirant in Patel Nagar last week, they also demanded that the power grid in the area be inspected.
Many of the more than 500 aspirants who were part of a candle march outside Rau’s IAS Study Circle around 5 PM Sunday said they were determined to come back the next day. “The nation lost three brilliant minds to gutter water. And everyone is blaming each other. Lots of politics, but no accountability. We need some strict action,” said Gaurav Gupta.
In a statement issued Sunday, Rau’s IAS Study Circle said it is “fully committed to supporting” ongoing investigations into this tragic incident. “We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and agencies to ensure that all necessary information is provided and that the investigation proceeds with the utmost diligence. We are dedicated to assisting in any way possible to uncover the truth and ensure accountability,” it added.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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