Coaching Centre Flooding: Uncle of student who died said she never told us she was facing any problem in Delhi

Delhi Coaching Centre Flooding: Three UPSC aspirants tragically lost their lives after being trapped in the basement of a coaching center in Delhi late Saturday evening, leading to widespread protests. The victims have been identified as Tania Soni (25) from Telangana, Shreya Yadav (25) from Uttar Pradesh, and Navin Delvin (28) from Kerala.

Shreya had moved to Delhi in April 

Shreya Yadav, the eldest of three siblings, had moved to Delhi in April to prepare for the civil services examination. Her father runs a dairy shop in Uttar Pradesh, and her two younger brothers are still in school. Shreya’s uncle, Dharmendra Yadav, who resides in Ghaziabad, was the first family member to learn about the tragic incident, which occurred late Saturday evening at Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar.

'There was no official communication from the coaching institute or administration'

"I found out about the incident after watching the news on television. I tried calling Shreya but couldn't reach her," said Dharmendra Yadav. "There was no official communication from the coaching institute or administration. I saw the news and approached them. At the mortuary, I asked to see her face for identification, but they denied it, saying it was a police case. They only showed me a paper with her name written on it."

Shreya's uncle Dharmendra Yadav was present at Delhi's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to take Shreya's body home.

He said, "Shreya's parents sent her to Delhi to achieve their dreams. How could they come here now? I've come to take her body back."

'Shreya never told us that she was facing any problem' 

"Shreya's father is a farmer and also rears some animals. Shreya never told us that she was facing any problem in Delhi," said her uncle.

Incident has sparked outrage

The incident has sparked outrage among students and locals, who gathered outside Rau's IAS Study Circle, demanding action against the coaching center and the authorities for their negligence.

A student who studies in this coaching centre, told that children come to the basement hall to take tests. He says that students also sit here and study.

According to him, "Earlier there was a normal door here, but a few days ago it was removed and doors with biometric system have been installed here. It seems that due to water-logging the biometric system failed and people could not come out."

Even after complaining, no action was taken: locals

Students and shopkeepers present in front of the coaching centre say that usually in this area, water accumulates up to three to four feet on the roads with the rain. They say that even after complaining, no action was taken on this.

Officials reported that a drain explosion caused flooding in the basement. Visuals from Rajendra Nagar showed the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle completely inundated with water.

The fire brigade received a call about students being trapped in the basement at 7:19 pm. Five fire engines and teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were dispatched to assist in the rescue operations. The bodies of Tania and Shreya were recovered hours after the rescue efforts began, while Navin's body was retrieved later in the night.