Nation

IIE digital desk: Delhi witnessed widespread protests on Monday after the tragic deaths of three UPSC aspirants. The deceased, identified as Rajesh Kumar, Neha Sharma, and Pooja Singh, were reportedly residing in a coaching hub in Mukherjee Nagar. Their untimely demise has sparked outrage among the student community and local residents, who blame the city's civic body for negligence.

Protesters allege that the aspirants died due to poor living conditions and lack of basic amenities in the area. "We are paying exorbitant rents for substandard accommodations. The civic body's failure to ensure proper infrastructure and sanitation has led to this tragedy," said Ramesh Yadav, a fellow UPSC aspirant.

In response to the protests, the Delhi Municipal Corporation has announced an inquiry into the incident and promised immediate improvements in the area's infrastructure. "We are deeply saddened by this loss and are committed to addressing the issues raised by the students," said a spokesperson for the civic body.

The protests have caused significant disruption in the city, with several roads blocked and public transportation services affected. Authorities are urging calm and assuring that swift action will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.

Protests broke out on Sunday after three civil services aspirants died after the basement of a building housing a coaching centre was flooded following heavy rain in central Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar area. The protesting students raised slogans against Delhi's civic body and the coaching centre and sought action against those responsible for negligence. Speaking about the incident DCP (Central Delhi) M Harshavardhan said, "The caller told us that there was a possibility that some people were trapped. We are investigating how the entire basement was flooded. It appeared that the basement got flooded very fast due to which some people were trapped inside.