Three UPSC aspirants died after they were trapped in the basement of a popular coaching centre in Cental Delhi last last evening, triggering massive protests.
Hundreds of students and locals in the area gathered outside the Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar this morning demanding action against the coaching centre and authorities for negligence that claimed the lives of three students.
Officials said a drain had exploded, leading to the flooding in the basement.
The incident prompted a sharp attack on the ruling AAP from the BJP that claimed that the local MLA had ignored repeated appeals by locals to get the drains cleaned.
"There should be an inquiry into the alleged corruption by Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi and their government. There should be an inquiry as to why the drainage was not cleaned by the Delhi Municipal Corporation," said Delhi BJP Chief Virendra Sachdeva.
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj slammed the AAP government and said that the Kejriwal's government did not listen to the locals.
"These children came here to create their future. But the government of Arvind Kejriwal and MLA Durgesh Pathak did not listen to any requests of the local people. People had been asking Durgesh Pathak for last one week to get the drainage systems cleaned. Arvind Kejriwal and Durgesh Pathak are responsible for the deaths," she said.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla also slammed the Kejriwal-led government, calling the incident a "murder" committed by AAP.
On the BJP's allegations, AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak said the party's councillors were in power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for 15 years but did not get drains constructed. "This is not the time for politics. The focus now is on saving the students," the MLA said.
Visuals from Rajendra Nagar showed the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle completely flooded.
Fire brigade officials said they received a call about students being stuck in the basement at 7.19 pm last evening and five fire engines were dispatched to assist in rescue operations. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force also assisted in the rescue operation,.
The bodies of two female students were pulled out hours after the rescue operation began. The body of the third student, a male, was recovered later into the night.
The incident comes days after a UPSC aspirant was electrocuted while trying to cross a waterlogged street in Patel Nagar, which is also in West Delhi.