Twenty-five-year-old Tanya Soni liked poetry, was a regular at cultural events in college and determined to crack the UPSC entrance exam and join the civil services. But a visit to the library on a rainy day cut her life — and her dreams — short.
Tanya is among the three civil service aspirants who died after rainwater flooded the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle in Delhi’s Rajendra Nagar on Saturday. The 25-year-old was originally from Bihar’s Aurangabad, but had been in Delhi since she joined college. After completing a Bachelor’s degree in political science, she was preparing for the IAS entrance exam. Her parents live in Telangana, where her father works.
When Vijay Kumar, her father, got the news, he was on his way to Lucknow. “After getting the information, we deboarded at Nagpur and took a flight to Delhi,” he told news agency PTI.
Tanya’s body is on its way to her Bihar home for the last rites. Vijay Kumar, who works with Singareni Collieries Company Ltd, said becoming an IAS officer was Tanya’s childhood dream.
At her Aurangabad home, relatives are shattered. Tanya’s grandfather said she was the brightest student in the family. Her cousin Ankit said, “She was very sharp, the sharpest among us all. She loved poetry. She was also interested in dancing and would perform at college functions,” he said.
Tanya was among the 20-odd students in the library in the coaching centre’s basement Saturday evening when a downpour sent water gushing in and trapped the students. Three students died and the others were rescued.
The incident has sparked massive outrage at civic negligence and main Opposition BJP has targeted the Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power in Delhi and also controls the municipal corporation.
Investigation into the tragedy has revealed that the institute had turned the basement into a library in violation of norms. Seven people, including the owners of the coaching centre and the basement, have been arrested.
