In a viral video, reportedly shot by one of the students of the coaching centre, Manoj Kathuria, 50, could be seen driving his Force Gurkha through the waterlogged road.
Five people have been sent to 14-day judicial custody over the death of three UPSC aspirants who drowned in a flooded basement at Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi’s Old Rajender Nagar. The five include the driver whose vehicle, navigating through rainwater, contributed to the increased water flow that breached the basement door.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the driver has been identified as 50-year-old Manoj Kathuria. In a viral video, reportedly shot by one of the students of the coaching centre, Kathuria could be seen driving his Force Gurkha through the waterlogged road. The video shows the gate of the coaching centre collapsing due to the force of the water.
#Delhi: MHA constituted a committee to inquire into the unfortunate incident at a coaching centre in old Rajinder Nagar in which 3 IAS students were killed@anjalipandey06 | #RajindraNagar#IAS#Floodingpic.twitter.com/H0rIIppP8r— News18 (@CNNnews18) July 30, 2024
According to the police, Kathuria has been booked under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), and 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the BNS, among others. Police said Kathuria was dropping off his accountant and returning home, just about 700 metres away, when the gate got damaged due to the force of the water.
Kathuria’s lawyer Advocate Rakesh Malhotra told a court that there was no restriction on the road and that the speed of the SUV was 15 km per hour while the water rose to around 2.5 feet.
However, the Delhi police opposed the bail plea filed by Kathuria stating that the driver he aggravated the incident.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a committee to inquire into the incident.
The building, which was inundated, had different owners on each floor, leading to the arrest of the basement owners as well. This brings the total number of individuals in custody to five, including Rau’s IAS Study Circle owner Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh, who face charges of culpable homicide among others.
