My husband is a victim, not accused: Wife of SUV driver

New Delhi: “My husband has not done anything wrong. I would like to refer to my husband as a victim and not an accused,” says Shima, the wife of Manuj Kathuria, who has been arrested in connection with the drowning of three IAS aspirants in the flooded basement of a coaching centre. Kathuria, a businessman, drove his SUV through the flooded street in Old Rajinder Nagar, causing the water to swell, breach the gates of the coaching centre building and inundate the basement, according to police. He is among the seven people arrested so far in the case.

Shima told PTI that her husband had no idea about the gate of the coaching centre breaking due to his car. “A gate cannot break like that. It must have weakened due to frequent waterlogging in the area,” she said. “Displaced water could have been hitting the gates earlier also. The water displaced by my husband’s car must have been the final straw, causing it to break,” she added.

Shima said her family is in a “state of panic” since her husband’s arrest but they have complete faith in the judicial system. “We are very positive. We have full faith in the judicial system and I am sure that the court will take the right decision,” she said. A city court on Tuesday reserved its order on Kathuria’s bail plea.