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Manuj Kathuria runs a YouTube channel about cars. (Youtube)
Katuria's wife Zhima said her husband was unaware the gate was broken because of his car, adding that his arrest had brought “panic” to the family
Manuj Kathuria's wife said her husband was the victim and not the accused in the Rajinder Nagar incident. Arrested after drowning in center's flooded basement.
According to police, businessman Katuria drove an SUV through a flooded street, causing water levels to rise, bursting through the door of the three-story building and flooding the basement.
He was one of five people arrested in connection with the case and his SUV was impounded.
Katuria's wife Zhima told PTI that her husband was unaware that the gate was broken because of his car, adding that his arrest had brought “panic” to the family.
“The gate (of the coaching center) cannot just be broken. The gate must have been weakened due to frequent waterlogging in the area,” she said.
The city court on Tuesday reserved its order on Katuria's bail plea.
“We are very positive. My husband has done nothing wrong. We have full confidence in the judicial system and I believe the court will make the right decision.
Shima said the police reached their residence around 5.30 pm on Sunday and told the family that they had come to inquire about Manuj's connection with the death at the Rajinder Nagar coaching centre.
She added: “Police said there was no criminal liability and they were only taking him in for questioning because his vehicle could be seen in the viral video taken at the time (when the water came in).”
“About 30 minutes later, my father-in-law received a call saying he had been arrested. This sent us into a panic.
She added that she was not informed of the tragedy, which claimed three lives, until Sunday morning.
“We did not receive a copy of the FIR until the bail hearing,” Shima claimed.
“Our legal counsel made multiple requests. I wanted to treat my husband as a victim rather than a defendant,” she claimed.
Island said her husband was charged by police with reckless driving. She said: “The discharged water may also have reached the gate earlier. The water discharged from my husband's car must have been the final straw, it must have weakened the gate and caused it to break.” She dismissed the charge of reckless driving, claiming the video “clearly “Ground” indicates that the vehicle's brake lights are on.
“He was driving in first gear on a flooded road. In this case, the car couldn't be traveling at 5 km/h. But it wasn't speeding either. It must have been at 15 km/h or 20 km/h Somewhere. He was constantly hitting the brakes and was not speeding in his SUV,” she said.
“If he stopped, the car would stall. He didn't know which buildings he went through. He made sure he drove in a straight line and didn't hit anyone. We've never been to these facilities and don't know how they work.
She added that the vehicle may have passed through several buildings on the waterlogged street, but only the coaching center's gate was broken due to water leakage.
Shima said that when the incident occurred, her husband went to Karol Bagh Metro Station to drop off two accountants due to non-stop rain.
“We took the dogs for a walk in the nearby ridge area. As we were about to get home, it started raining. My father-in-law called and asked my husband to take our two accountants to the subway station. When we came back, I Went downstairs and my husband left to put them down,” she recalled.
Three civil service aspirants died on Saturday night as water poured from a flooded drain into the basement of the Rau IAS Study Circle in old Rajinder Nagar, which houses a library.
(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)
