'Within 10 minutes...': Horrific video shows water gushing into UPSC coaching centre in Delhi

Heavy rains on Saturday claimed three lives at a UPSC coaching centre in the Old Rajinder Nagar area of Delhi. The victims were all preparing for IAS exams and were at the centre when water gushed in flooding the basement. One of the UPSC aspirants who survived the terrible tragedy has now shared a video showing water flowing into the basement. The aspirant says the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) did not act in time, leading to the death of three of their peers.

The video was shared on X, in which the aspirant wrote, "I’m one survivor of this horrible incident; within 10 minutes, the basement was filled. It was 6:40 pm. We called the police and NDMA, but they arrived after 9 pm. Till then, my 3 UPSC aspirant mates lost their lives. Three are hospitalised, pray for them. Who cares about our lives?"

Other photos and videos shared on social media show cars submerged and people walking in knee-deep water in the area.

The incident happened at Rau's IAS Study Circle located in Central Delhi and has triggered protests in the area. Several aspirants gathered outside the centre and demanded action against the institute for its negligence of safety codes. They squatted and blocked both the carriageways of the Pusa Road near the Karol Bagh Metro Station.

Arrests and protests in UPSC centre flooding case

Delhi Police have arrested a total of seven people in the matter till now. On Sunday, Abhishek Gupta, CEO of Rau's IAS Study Circle, and the centre's coordinator, Deshpal Singh, were arrested. On Monday, the police said that they had arrested five more people in the matter.

One of the arrested is a person who drove his car at high speed into the gate of the coaching centre. The gate broke and led to the water gushing into the building.

"Whoever is at fault in this incident will not be spared. We are taking strict action against those responsible for the incident and maintaining law and order in the area," said DCP Harsha Vardhan.

Several BJP workers and leaders are also protesting against the AAP government. The Delhi police used water cannons to disperse the gathered crowd. Paramilitary forces have also been deployed to prevent violence. "We have deployed paramilitary forces and police in the area to maintain law and order," a senior police officer said.

"We request all to maintain law and order. The Pusa Road is an important road with many hospitals in the vicinity. We have barricaded the area and deployed additional force to maintain peace. We will ensure that no one is disturbed due to the protest," added the police officer.