In a heart-wrenching incident in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar, three civil service aspirants lost their lives when a basement at the Rau’s IAS Study Circle, used as a library in breach of regulations, was inundated with water. The tragedy unfolded as a severe downpour flooded the basement, trapping students inside. The emergency operation to rescue the students in the waterlogged basement lasted seven hours.
Those who couldn’t make it were identified as Tanya Soni, Shreya Yadav, and Nevin Delvin. Tanya, originally from Aurangabad in Bihar, was a Delhi University student who had joined the coaching centre just a month and a half ago. Shreya Yadav, from Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar, was pursuing her civil services preparation after completing her BSc in agriculture. Delvin, from Ernakulam in Kerala, was a PhD scholar in Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who had been attending the coaching institute for the past eight months.
Abhishek Verma, a close friend of Delvin, shared an emotional tribute with journalist Barkha Dutt. He recounted the harrowing scene and his friend’s heroic efforts during the disaster. “You didn’t deserve this,” Verma said, his voice filled with grief. “We all miss you, and we will meet soon.”
His words were filled with deep sorrow and frustration.
According to Verma, Delvin was a hero who risked his own life to help others. “Nevin was trying to save others. He died saving lives,” Verma revealed.
He said that Delvin stayed behind, urging others to escape while he made sure they were safe. “He wasn’t responsible for anyone, he could have saved his life, but he chose to stay back and he was the last one there,” he said. “He pushed everyone to go out; he died as a hero.”
Verma also expressed his discontent with the handling of the situation, demanding transparency. “We need to know how many students died and what went wrong,” he asserted. An officer at the hospital said that there were eight bodies, adding to the confusion and distress surrounding the incident. “Justice must be done. No child should die like this,” Verma urged.
The tragedy has cast a spotlight on the safety protocols at educational institutions and the dire need for stringent regulations to prevent such incidents in the future. As Delhi grapples with this devastating event, the call for accountability and reforms grows louder as politicians continue to pass the buck.
