Massive protest outside Drishti IAS in Delhi as MCD seals coaching centre’s basement after deaths at Rau’s IAS

Hundreds of students staged a protest outside Drishti IAS coaching centre in North West Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sealed the basement of the famous institute in a crackdown on illegally run the establishment following the tragedy on Saturday in which three civil services aspirants died.

Drishti IAS, run by educator and YouTuber Vikas Divyakirti, was among the seven coaching institutes, including six in Central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar, which were sealed by the MCD in the latest crackdown on illegally run establishments. So far, the basements of 20 coaching centres that were illegally being used either as libraries or for providing classes in both Rajindra Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar have been sealed since the incident took placed on July 27.

Three IAS aspirants – Shreya Yadav from Uttar Pradesh, Tanya Soni from Telangana and Nevin Dalwin from Kerala – died after the basement of a building housing Rau’s IAS Study Circle coaching institute was flooded following rain on Saturday evening.

Protest outside Drishti IAS coaching centre

On Monday evening, several videos surfaced on social media where students are purportedly seeing raising “we want justice” slogan while holding a protest march till Drishti IAS coaching centre in Mukherjee Nagar.

The MCD also carried out an anti-encroachment drive in Old Rajindra Nagar to demolish structures that were covering the storm drains that led to flooding in the area.

The sealing drive will also be carried out against establishments illegally using basements for commercial activities in other parts of the city, MCD commissioner Ashwani Kumar told reporters.

So far, 20 basements of coaching centres that were illegally being used either as libraries or for providing classes in both Rajendra Nagar and Mukherjee Nagar have been sealed, the officials said.

“Till Sunday we took action against 13 basements of coaching institutes running in Rajendra Nagar. On Monday we resumed the sealing drive and sealed six more basements of such institutes in the same area.

“The MCD also carried out an anti-encroachment drive to remove structures covering the storm drains. Additionally, the basement of a coaching institute has been sealed in Mukherjee Nagar, where a sealing drive was also carried out by us,” Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi said.

Names of coaching centre where MCD carried out sealing

The names of prominent coaching centres which came under the MCD scanner on Monday include – Drishti IAS Institute, Vaji Ram and Ravi IAS hub, and SriRam IAS Institute in Rajinder Nagar and Drishti (The Vision) in Mukherjee Nagar, news agency PTI reported citing an official statement.

Three basements in the building of Vaji Ram and Ravi IAS hub were sealed, it said.

The crackdown comes two days after three civil services aspirants died after a library housed in the basement of their coaching centre, Rau’s IAS Study Circle, in Rajinder Nagar was inundated following heavy rain, and reportedly led to the failure of the single biometric entry and exit point.

“Whereas it has been brought to my notice that basement of single unit local shopping centre, Vardhman Mall, Nehru Vihar, (combined Basement of Tower 1, 2 and 3) is being used for coaching centre, teaching centre, institutes in the name and style as Dristi (The Vision) the instance of owner and occupier in violation of clause 15.9 of MPD-2021,” read the notice pasted at the entrance of a coaching centre in Mukherjee Nagar.

Similar, notices were pasted at the entrance of the basements sealed by the civic body in both the areas.