In Delhi Basement Tragedy, IIT Experts Examine SUV, Coaching Centre Gate

A team of IIT-Delhi professors has examined the SUV, seized in connection with the drowning of three civil services aspirants at Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar, and the gate of the building housing the coaching centre, the CBI said Wednesday. In its report submitted before a special court here, the central agency said the experts took the measurements of the vehicle and the gate on Sunday.

The agency further said that the SUV, a Force Gurkha, will also be inspected by a domain expert i.e. a motor vehicle inspector.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought one more week’s time to get the vehicle examined by the inspector. The agency has made the submissions in response to vehicle owner’s plea to release his SUV.

Citing the postmortem report, the CBI has said that the three UPSC aspirants had died during the flooding on July 27 due to asphyxia caused by antemortem drowning.

The agency said its investigation revealed that on July 27 at about 6.30 pm, several students were studying in the library located in the basement of the coaching institute and heavy rainfall was taking place.

“The rainwater entered the ground floor due to sudden fall of sliding gates of main building and subsequently entered the basement resulting its flooding,” the report said.

The CBI said three students namely Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni and Nevin Dalvin died in the incident.

The agency said its investigation showed that Rau’s IAS was being run in the building which has “Basement, Stilt/Parking, Upper Ground Floor, First Floor, Second Floor and Third Floor”.

“All the floors including basement were used by the said coaching institute. The basement was used for the purpose of library where students used to sit throughout the day for study as well as for taking test conducted by coaching institute,” it said.

The case, being probed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), was transferred from the Delhi Police to the CBI by the Delhi High Court on August 2.