‘Nothing can bring her back... took out loan to pay coaching centre fee’: Father

New Delhi: Three civil service aspirants, Shreya Yadav, Tanya Soni, and Nevin Dalwin, lost their lives when the basement of the Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar flooded following a heavy downpour on Saturday evening. The incident has sparked outrage among students and prompted protests against the authorities.

Shreya Yadav, a 25-year-old from Uttar Pradesh’s Ambedkar Nagar, was among the victims. Her father, Rajender Yadav, a dairy farmer, shared the family’s heartbreak, stating, “We took out a loan to pay the coaching centre fee. Nothing those responsible for her death say or do can bring my daughter back.” Shreya’s father described the tragic turn of events, mentioning that they initially weren’t alarmed when she did not call on July 27, a routine she maintained every evening.

It was only later, through her uncle, that the family learned of her death.

The tragedy also claimed the lives of 21-year-old Tanya Soni from Telangana and 29-year-old Nevin Dalwin from Kerala. Tanya, originally from Bihar’s Aurangabad, was studying at Delhi University and had joined the coaching institute a month and a half ago. Her father, Vijay Kumar, who works as a Deputy General Manager at the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd, expressed his profound loss, recounting how his daughter had dreamt of becoming a civil servant since childhood. Kumar revealed that they were on their way to Lucknow when they received the tragic news, prompting a quick flight to Delhi to retrieve her body. Tanya’s final rites were conducted in Aurangabad after her body was taken there post-mortem.

Nevin Dalwin, a PhD student from Jawaharlal Nehru University, had been residing in Delhi for about eight months. His family, originally from Thiruvananthapuram but currently based in Ernakulam, is now preparing to bring his body back home after the autopsy.

JNUSU president Dhananjay condemned the Rau’s IAS owner’s absence, criticised safety failures in private coaching, “Despite charging lakhs from students on a yearly basis, basic facilities are found lacking in private institutions.

The government has made no attempts to bring this open loot under control despite

repeated and regular instances of loss of lives,” he stated.

The flood, which occurred in the basement used as a library, was so severe that it knocked down the building’s gate, allowing water to inundate the area. A friend of one of the victims described the harrowing experience, saying, “It was the most horrifying experience of my life. After about ten minutes, people threw a rope to help, but by then, I was fortunate to have escaped. Sadly, two girls drowned, one of whom I knew well. We had discussed our studies and study materials together. She had promised to help me with a topic I was struggling with.”

The incident has led to widespread protests from students and aspirants of the

coaching center, who have criticised the authorities for failing to ensure safety.