“There was negligence,” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated on Monday in Rajya Sabha while addressing a question about the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in Delhi.
“Accountability must be fixed to find a solution… It is our responsibility to ensure such incidents do not recur,” the education minister added.
Earlier in Lok Sabha, leaders from various parties condemned the flooding of a coaching center in Delhi, which led to the deaths of three civil services aspirants on Saturday.
Congress MP KC Venugopal raised the issue during Question Hour, saying, “Without approved buildings and proper facilities, some coaching centers become mafias… Is the government going to take any action?”
Citing information provided by the ministry in an earlier written reply, Venugopal noted that between 2018 and 2022, around 80 students committed suicide in top-ranking institutions like IITs and IIMs, with caste discrimination being a major factor.
In response, Pradhan said, “The member has raised a question unrelated to today’s topic.”
“But I want to assure the House through you that this government is committed to the socio-psychological and mental protection of all students, whether they are in coaching centers, institutions, school education, or higher education,” he said.
The education minister informed the House that detailed guidelines on coaching centers were issued to all states in January 2024.
“Some states, like Rajasthan, Bihar, and Goa, have their own regulations to address these issues,” he added.
Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to direct the government to provide ₹1 crore in compensation to the families of the deceased students and to fix responsibility and take strict action immediately.
Three civil services aspirants died on Saturday after the basement of a building housing a coaching center in central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar area was flooded following heavy rains.
