IAS coaching centre deaths: NHRC takes suo motu cognisance; seeks report from govt, civic body

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued notices to Delhi government, city police chief and municipal commissioner in the Rau's IAS Study Circle incident that took place on Saturday.

In this incident, 3 IAS officers died after the basement of the coaching centre in the Old Rajinder Nagar area got flooded after heavy rains on Saturday. The victims were identified as Tania Soni (25), Shreya Yadav (25), and Nevin Dalwin (28). 

The NHRC asked them to submit a detailed report on the incident in two weeks. The human rights body has also asked the Delhi chief secretary to conduct a thorough survey done to ascertain the exact number of institutes and coaching centres running in violation of the prescribed norms. 

In the report, every detail of such institutes including complaints pending against them and action taken by the department concerned. NHRC also took suo motu cognisance of media reports on the incident, which indicate that despite many waterlogging-related complaints, "no action was taken" by the authorities. 

The commission said the news reports indicate towards negligence on the part of the authorities concerned. Not only this, the commission also took cognisance of the death of a civil services aspirant in Delhi's Patel Nagar area. 

In this incident, a civil services aspirant died due to electrocution while crossing a waterlogged street near the Patel Nagar metro station. The civil services aspirant was identified as 26-year-old Nilesh Rai. 

Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry has formed a committee to investigate the Rau's IAS Study Circle incident. The committee has been tasked to probe the circumstances that led to the flooding, fixing accountability and recommending measures and policy changes to prevent similar incidents in the future. 

The committee has to submit its findings within 30 days. Due to the outrage against the incident, sealing 13 MCD officials launched an anti-encroachment operation in Old Rajinder Nagar. As a result, 13 illegal coaching centres were sealed.