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What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Hundreds of students staged a massive protest outside the Drishti IAS coaching center in North West Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar against the owner, Vikas Divyakirti. They are raising questions about the use of the basement for library purposes. The agitation began after three students died when the basement of Rau’s Study Circle got flooded.
NEW DELHI: Hundreds of students staged a massive protest outside the Drishti IAS coaching center in North West Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar against the owner, Vikas Divyakirti. They are raising questions about the use of the basement for library purposes as well as the rising revenue of Drishti IAS but no focus on poor hygiene standards or filthy basement use for commercial gains in violation of Municipal Corporation Of Delhi (MCD) by-laws. The agitation began after three students died when the basement of Rau’s Study Circle got flooded.
When The New Indian met with the protesting students, they voiced their concerns and demands. One student said, “It’s clearly a scam in the name of civil service exam training. If they want, they can move to a place like Noida or anywhere else. It’s not as if this is the only place where their coaching will survive. But they chose to stay here in the basement to save their money.”
Another irate student, Shubham, told The New Indian, “Divyakirti’s primary focus is to grow his business, not the safety of students. He wants to increase his business turnover from ₹200 to ₹800.”
Vikas Divyakirti, who is popular on YouTube for his lectures, has attracted many students to his coaching center. However, while speaking to The New Delhi, student protesters revealed the ground reality, saying, “Famous on social media, they are giving admissions to students in his name. Ask those students if they ever get a chance to meet him offline. They just want fame; they want to appear in the media and have their pictures clicked with celebrities.”
Adding to the same concern another student protester outside the Drishti IAS coaching center said, “They are taking lakhs of rupees from students and what are the facilities they are providing? Basement? There should be control over high fees for services, such as using a basement as a library.”
Students are questioning Divyakirti’s lifestyle in comparison to the facilities at his coaching center, which are in stark contrast to the fees they pay. Many students who once had respect for him have lost it, claiming that despite repeatedly raising these issues and receiving notices from the MCD, classes are still being conducted in the same place, allegedly due to bribery of government officials.
The MCD had issued a notice concerning the misuse of property by Drishti IAS Institute, which operates out of the basement of the Single Unit Local Shopping Centre at Vardhman Mall, Nehru Vihar. The basement, which encompasses Towers 1, 2, and 3, is used to train approximately 300 students. This use has been reported as a violation of Clause 15.9 of the Master Plan for Delhi 2021.
