Tanya Soni, one of three IAS aspirants who tragically died in the flooded basement of a coaching center in Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar, tried to calm others during the incident, according to a fellow student who escaped.
Rishabh, a resident of Ghaziabad, was among 25-30 students trapped in the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle on the evening of July 27, when heavy rains caused flooding.
The incident claimed the lives of Tanya, Shreya Yadav, and Nevin Delvin, sparking angry protests from civil services aspirants in the capital.
Rishabh recounted that they were in the library when water started flooding the building. About 10-12 students near the gate managed to rush out, but around 15 got trapped due to the strong water flow on the stairs.
He recalled that Tanya, a batchmate from the M33 batch that started in June, encouraged everyone not to panic and suggested forming a human chain. They tried but couldn’t hold on due to the strong current.
As the water level rose, both Tanya and Shreya stood on a table. Rishabh gathered the courage to climb the stairs, and halfway up, a housekeeping staff member helped pull him to safety.
Tanya and Shreya, however, stayed on the table, likely frightened by the intense water flow. Rishabh noted that he didn’t know Nevin’s whereabouts as Nevin might have been in the toilet at the time.
Rishabh’s friend Nakul, the last to escape, informed them that Tanya and Shreya were still inside.
Rishabh, who lives with his parents and paid ₹1.75 lakh for a year-long course at the institute, praised the staff for their swift action, which he believes prevented further casualties.