The Lok Sabha in session, July 29, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Cutting across party lines, Lok Sabha members on Monday demanded an inquiry into the death of three UPSC aspirants due to flooding in their coaching centre's basement here with the BJP blaming the city's AAP government for the tragedy.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed the incident tragic and demanded a thorough investigation to fix accountability for the death of the students.
"In Uttar Pradesh, bulldozers are run over illegal buildings. I want to know if bulldozers will be run here too," the MP from Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj said.
During the Question Hour, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan evaded a direct reply to a query on the death of the three IAS aspirants in Delhi due to flooding.
Responding to a supplementary question, he said the government issued guidelines on the regulation of coaching centres in January this year.
Congress MP K C Venugopal said the coaching centre had no approved building.
"Without an approved building, without any facility, some of the coaching centres become mafia... is the government going to take any action?" he said.
The BJP's New Delhi Lok Sabha MP Bansuri Swaraj blamed the AAP's "utter apathy" for the death of the students and demanded that an inquiry committee under the Home Ministry should be set up to probe the incident.
"Criminal negligence of the Aam Aadmi Party has led to the death of these students. An inquiry should be set up on the Delhi Government which is neck-deep in corruption. Why are the drains not being cleaned in Delhi?" she asked during the Zero Hour.
Officials have said an absence of a drainage system and safety measures and the use of the basement for commercial activities in violation of norms led to the death of three civil services aspirants at the coaching centre.
Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor said there has been a violation of the safety codes, and demanded compensation for the families.
He said that drains have to be cleaned and steps taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. Tharoor demanded a comprehensive inquiry on the matter.
The IAS aspirants who died in the incident in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar have been identified as Shreya Yadav (25) of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni (25) from Telangana and Nevin Delvin (24) from Ernakulam in Kerala, police said.
The Delhi Police has arrested the owner and the coordinator of the coaching centre -- Rau's IAS Study Circle -- and booked them for culpable homicide and other charges.