The wife of a Delhi businessman who has been arrested for driving his SUV through a flooded street outside the IAS coaching centre where three students died last week, has defended her husband amid rash driving allegations.
Shima Kathuria told the news agency ANI that her husband Manu was only trying to reach a "safe spot" amid heavy rain. "There was no rash driving, the video is in front of everyone. My husband was not driving at a high speed," she said.
Ms Kathuria blamed the authorities for negligence that claimed the lives of three UPSC aspirants.
"The coaching institute owner was running a library there when they had a NOC only for storage. When there was severe waterlogging on the roads, police should have cordoned off the roads," Ms Kathuria said.
Manuj Kathuria is among the seven people arrested in connection with the incident.
The Force Gurkha SUV, a viral video shows, passed Rau's IAS Study Circle and its movement sent a wave of water towards the gate of the coaching centre. Voices in the video are heard shouting, "gate has fallen".
Police said the passage of the SUV at high speed sent water gushing towards the coaching centre.
"Negligence has been established on the part of the arrested driver, who has been arrested in the Old Rajinder Nagar case. He was driving very fast. Due to this, the gate of the coaching centre broke. A street vendor had tried to stop him," a senior police official said.
Three IAS aspirants died after heavy rain last Saturday led to flooding in the library of the coaching centre. The library is in the basement of the building, and 20-odd students were trapped. While 17 were rescued in time, three drowned.
Preliminary inquiries into the tragedy have unearthed multiple violations by the owners of the building and coaching centre, including using the basement without due clearance and lying to obtain a certificate from the Fire Department.
Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg said that there was no option to de-water the basement.