Know who is Manoj Kathuria, an SUV driver, who is accused of creating a wave of water that led to flooding in the Rau IAS Study Circle, Delhi library and caused the death of three young UPSC aspirants
For the unversed, on Saturday, the 50-year-old Kathuria, drove his SUV on a waterlogged road in front of Rauโs IAS Study Circle in Central Delhiโs Old Rajendra Nagar.
He was on his way home, just 700 meters away. A day later, he faced the consequences of this short drive past the coaching center.
Who is Manoj Kathuria driver of Force Gurkha car arrested in Rau IAS Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi UPSC coaching centre flooding case
Businessman Manoj Kathuria, was apprehended by the Delhi police on Sunday evening. The businessman was accused of creating a wave of water that breached the entrance of the coaching center, leading to flooding in the basement and the tragic death of three students.
In a video allegedly shot by one of the students, Kathuriaโs Force Gurkha is seen passing through the waterlogged road.
The force of the water causes the gate of the coaching center to collapse, and the vehicle is seen exiting through the other end of the road in the clip.
Video of SUV Driver Manoj Kathuria driving his SUV in front of Rau Coaching Gate which lead to flooding in basement.
He must be a tax paying citizen, still govt cant get proper roads and proper water management facilities.
Whatโs his mistake? pic.twitter.com/Yy1slb4eEM
— indianBYTES (@indianbytes) July 30, 2024
What Did Manoj Kathuriaโs Lawyer Say?
On Monday, his lawyer, Advocate Rakesh Malhotra, told a court that there were no restrictions on the road. He claimed the vehicle was moving at just 15 km per hour while the water level was around 2.5 feet high.
The day after the coaching centerโs CEO Abhishek Gupta and coordinator Deshpal Singh were arrested, Delhi Police announced the arrest of five more individuals, including Kathuria, bringing the total number of arrests to seven.
What Did the Police Reveal?
Police stated that Kathuria has been booked under the same sections listed in the initial FIR that is sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the BNS, among others.
His vehicle was identified as a contributing factor to the flooding of the coaching centerโs basement. DCP (Central) Harsh Vardhan said that the arrested individuals include the owners of the basement.
โWe are committed to ensuring strict action against all those involved in the case,โ he said, adding that Kathuriaโs SUV has been impounded.
#WATCH | Delhi: Old Rajinder Nagar coaching centre incident | Shima Kathuria- wife of one of the accused Manuj Kathuria, says "This is a completely wrong allegation. It was a painful incident due to which 3 innocents lost their lives. It is a failure of the system. There was noโฆ pic.twitter.com/1MsNErILWW
— ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2024
According to police, Kathuria was dropping off his accountant, who lives nearby, and returning home when the gate was damaged. Delhi based businessman Manoj is married to Shima Kathuria.
The owners of the basement, which was leased to the coaching center, have been identified as Parvinder Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Harvinder Singh, and Tejender Singh.
All four brothers, along with Kathuria, have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Abhishek Gupta and Deshpal Singh were also sent to 14-day judicial custody on Sunday.