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The tragic deaths of three civil services aspirants in a flooded basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in Delhi sparked a heated blame game between the ruling BJP and the AAP-led Delhi government in Parliament on Monday. The incident, which occurred over the weekend, highlighted the dangers faced by students pursuing competitive exams in the highly competitive and commercialized coaching industry. The Ministry of Home Affairs, recognizing the gravity of the situation, promptly constituted a high-level committee to investigate the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend policy changes.
In the Rajya Sabha, the discussion on the deaths took a sharp turn as BJP MPs pointed fingers at the Delhi government, accusing them of negligence and inadequate infrastructure maintenance. The AAP and the INDIA bloc, in turn, countered by targeting the Centre, asserting that the latter's policies and lack of regulation had contributed to the proliferation of coaching centres, some of which operate under unsafe conditions. The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Jagdeep Dhankhar, expressed concern over the commercialization of coaching centres, calling them a “gas chamber” and highlighting the excessive spending by these institutes on newspaper advertisements, ultimately borne by the students.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan argued that although education falls under the Concurrent List, state governments cannot evade their responsibility in regulating illegal coaching institutes. He emphasized that the Centre had sent directives to all states in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2024, outlining registration requirements, minimum standards, and monitoring mechanisms for coaching centres. He asserted that the incident could have been prevented had the states effectively implemented these directives. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar accused the AAP government of “carelessness”, alleging that the AAP-run Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi government were responsible for the deaths due to negligence in maintaining sewer lines. He further claimed that the coaching institute was granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) by the MCD despite lacking permission to operate classes in the basement, citing a student's complaint on the MCD's portal regarding the poor condition of the basement.
However, AAP member Sanjay Singh defended the Delhi government, asserting that it had effectively managed the city’s sewer lines. He pointed out the significant investments made by the AAP government in improving water and sanitation infrastructure in unregulated colonies. He argued that the responsibility for the coaching centre's operation rested with the BJP, which had long controlled the MCD, and highlighted the control of services by the Lt Governor, who reports to the Centre. The debate saw several Opposition leaders criticizing the Centre for allowing the proliferation of coaching institutes across the country. While some members, like the DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, directly blamed the L-G for hindering the elected AAP government's functioning, others from the Congress, RJD, CPI(M), CPI, and IUML maintained that the coaching institutes themselves were culpable, holding the Centre accountable for their unchecked growth.
The high-level committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Delhi Government, the Delhi Police, and the Fire department, is mandated to submit its report within 30 days. This investigation will be crucial in determining the precise causes of the incident, assigning responsibility, and recommending appropriate policy changes to ensure the safety of students attending coaching centres. The tragic loss of life serves as a stark reminder of the need for comprehensive regulation and oversight within the booming coaching industry, where the pursuit of academic success must not come at the cost of student safety.
Source: UPSC coaching centre deaths: Blame game in House, Home sets up probe panel