Atishi gives 10pm deadline to Delhi Chief Secretary to submit report on coaching centre deaths, ‘raises very serious…’

Delhi Minister Atishi lashed out at Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar on Monday evening over delay in filing inquiry report for the recent basement coaching centre deaths. The senior AAP leader gave the top bureaucrat a 10 pm deadline to submit a report on the matter.

“I am yet to receive any official report or information from the Chief Secretary on the incident. This raises very serious questions. Either the officers of GNCTD are not serious about enquiring into this tragedy, or they are trying to protect someone. The Chief Secretary is again directed to submit the magisterial enquiry report on the incident by 10pm today,” she wrote in a letter to the official.

Three IAS aspirants died on Saturday evening after the basement of a building housing Rau's IAS Study Circle coaching institute was flooded following heavy rainfall.

Atishi said that she had initially shared directions for a magisterial inquiry into the matter at 11:20 pm on Saturday.

"A report by the magisterial committee was to be submitted to the office of the undersigned within 24 hours. However, I'm shocked to note that despite almost 40 hours having passed, I am yet to receive any official report or information from the Chief Secretary on the incident," Atishi said in the to the official.

She reiterated calls for the Chief Secretary to submit a report by 10 pm outlining the “strongest possible action” that could be taken against the “negligent” officials who had allowed the accident. Further delays, she warned, would raise questions “as to whether any culprits are being protected”.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry formed a high-level committee to investigate the flooding incident on Monday. The committee will examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, identify the responsible parties, and recommend measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

(With inputs from agencies)