Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: A Delhi businessman, Manu Kathuria, has been denied bail after being arrested for allegedly speeding his SUV and exacerbating the flooding at a city coaching centre, where three students tragically drowned over the weekend. Kathuria’s speeding Force Gurkha SUV reportedly sent a large wave of water into the basement library of the coaching centre, trapping the students inside.
Kathuria has challenged his arrest, and the petition will be heard tomorrow.
Footage of the incident shows Kathuria’s SUV driving past the building, causing a significant surge of water towards its gate. In the video, bystanders can be heard shouting, “the gate has fallen.”
Police have stated that “negligence has been established on the part of the arrested driver.” A senior police officer commented, “He was driving very fast. Due to this, the gate of the coaching centre broke. A street vendor had tried to stop him.”
Kathuria’s wife, Shima Kathuria, has denied any wrongdoing on her husband’s part. She pointed out that the library was operating illegally in a basement only cleared for storage and criticized the authorities for not cordoning off the waterlogged road.
The city court has also denied bail to the basement owners, Parvinder Singh, Sarvjit Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Tejender Singh, who have been arrested in connection with the case.
The tragic incident occurred at Rau’s IAS Study Circle in west Delhi, where three IAS aspirants died. They were among 20 students trapped in the basement library after heavy rains caused severe flooding. Fortunately, 17 students were rescued in time.
