Civil Service Officers React To Tragic Death Of UPSC Aspirants In Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar

Lakhs of students appear for the UPSC examination every year. Most students rely on coaching centres for preparation. Delhi and Prayagraj are considered to be the hubs for UPSC coaching. A recent incident in Rau’s IAS Study Circle, Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi has raised a series of concerns. An illegal library was being operated in the basement of this coaching centre, which got flooded due to heavy rains, leading to the drowning of three students. The tragedy has shaken the government. It is reported that despite numerous complaints no action was taken against the coaching centres. The police department has started a detailed investigation of the case. Several civil service officers shared their thoughts on the tragic incident.

Former IAS officer Dr Tanu Jain posted on the X platform to express her thoughts on the tragic incident. She wrote, “I was an aspirant and lived in Rajender Nagar and went to libraries. I could have been one of them, you could have been one of them. It is not just tragic but it is heart-wrenching and the loss of human life makes me speechless. I am a parent and the pain of a parent losing a child is the worst kind of pain. I don’t know what to say that can ease the pain, there are no words.”

A 2019 batch IAS officer also shared his thoughts on the sad incident that killed three UPSC aspirants. Dr Arjun Gowda mentioned that the living conditions where the students stay are terrible. He wrote, “I express my deepest condolences to the students who lost their lives at ORN. The living conditions of students in ORN are almost always terrible. Moving to Delhi to study in such conditions isn’t necessary to clear this exam.”

IAS Somesh Upadhyay, Collector and District Magistrate of Deogarh, Odisha also expressed his thoughts about the incident that took place in Delhi. Sharing a post on X he wrote, “Heartbreaking scenes from so-called ‘hub of UPSC’. It could have been anyone of us. Parents shouldn’t be sending their children to these places where exploitation rules. Preparing at home or local library is a much better option. You will be at no disadvantage.”

The 2015 batch IPS officer Sukirti Madhav Mishra also shared a post expressing his concern about the incident. He wrote on his X handle, “I prepared for UPSC while working in Coal India and went to Delhi briefly for my mains and few mock Interviews (took no coaching). Information overload, bad living conditions, exploitative attitude of room owners, brokers, coaching institutes etc were so debilitating.”

Former IAS Abhishek Singh also posted his thoughts on his X handle. He mentioned that the coaching centre should be held accountable for such a sad incident that took three lives. He wrote, “Heartbreaking news of death due to drowning of IAS aspirants in Old Rajinder Nagar. May God give strength to the families to cope with the loss. Parents send their children with lots of hope and effort to Delhi. It is anyway not easy for a middle-class student to survive in Delhi, because right from the property dealers to landlords to coaching centres everyone is ready to fleece the student, without any concern for his life or quality of education. Authorities should ensure that at least the following are certified for quality, especially during the rains:

1. Living conditions of PG/rented accommodation

   The quality of food served in the PG/tiffin service

   The infrastructure of coaching institutes

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   Students should raise these issues by way of social media, by clicking pictures and posting them, if they think the quality is not up to the mark. Let’s make them accountable for the money we are paying them.”

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