Who will take the blame, ask angry protesters

Samad Hoque

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New Delhi, July 28

Students staged a massive protest on Sunday at Old Rajinder Nagar following the tragic incident which claimed the lives of three civil service aspirants on Saturday evening. The Delhi Police along with Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed at the spot to control the protesters. A few protesting studends were detained by the police.

Raising slogans “we want justice”, the protesters blocked the road next to the Karol Bagh Metro Station, causing huge traffic snarls in the area.

Eyewitness said a car sped past the coaching centre on Saturday which caused a massive surge of water into the basement. “What happened that evening was horrific to witness,” he said.

Ajinkya, a student who studies in another coaching institute in the area said, “We are paying hefty amount for the coaching, but at what cost? Our lives are in danger, how can we study with fear lurking around all the time?”

“A drain wall passing through the basement broke which flooded the basement. Around 30 students were trapped in the basement who were studying in the library. They got stranded and within minutes, the basement was filled with water.” he said.

Aditya, a student at Vajiram & Ravi coaching centre said, “There are several libraries running in the basement of buildings. They even charge Rs1,500 to Rs 4000”.

“There is no proper drainage in the area and often rainwater accumulates on the roads. When we join the institute, we are treated well but later we are mere students for them who pay a heavy amount to study at their centres. This incident is a wake-up call for authorities and the government.” he said.

He added that they had been protesting since last night, however, no official came to talk to them.

Central District DCP M Harshvardhan asked to students not to block roads. However, students refused to shift their protest and demanded action against the people responsible for the incident.

The police then pushed the protesting students from the streets and they gathered once again in front of the coaching centre.

Another student Suraj rued, “Who will to take blame for the incident. Political blame game leads to nothing. We demand answers from the MCD. 80 per cent of the libraries operate in the basement? What action will he be taken against others?”

He added that not just coaching centres but PG accommodation also have libraries in the basement. “We pay Rs 12-13,000 rent for a single room. We pay Rs 2-3 lakh for coaching. Many students even pay for accessing private libraries to study. All of them operate without following any rules and safety requirements.

The students have alleged that they fear more students might have died in the accident. They demanded that the exact number of casualties be revealed and action be taken against the authorities for negligence.