Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Uttar Pradesh government over the death of a software engineer in Noida, alleging that the tragic incident occurred due to administrative negligence.
The victim, Yuvraj Mehta, 27, who was employed in Gurugram, was returning home late on the night of January 16 when his car fell into a deep, water-filled pit near a construction site in Sector 150 as it went through a broken boundary wall in the fog.
He died after allegedly crying out for help for nearly two hours as his father and the NOIDA police and fire department personnel watched. By the time rescue efforts were intensified by the police, the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force amid dense fog and extreme cold, he had passed away.
His father, Rajkumar Mehta, reportedly witnessed the entire incident helplessly. Rajkumar Mehta said that his son Yuvraj climbed the roof of the partially submerged car and used his mobile phone’s flashlight to signal his location in the thick fog, while repeatedly calling for help.
However, the lack of proper rescue equipment delayed efforts to pull him out and the darkness, dense fog and near-zero visibility hampered rescue efforts. Police and fire personnel refrained from entering the water, citing freezing conditions and the risk posed by under-construction columns inside the basement.
Speaking to reporters, Yadav said the focus should not be on where the victim was coming from or the circumstances preceding the incident. “The question is not whether he was coming from a party or where the incident happened. After the incident, why were the government and all its departments unable to save his life?” he asked.
He added that reports suggested officials hesitated to enter the pit because of the extremely cold water. “If someone has lost their life due to this reason, it happened because of the government’s negligence. Incidents like this should not occur again,” the former UP Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the death has registered a fresh FIR against five builders linked to Lotus Greens Construction Pvt Ltd and MZ Wiztown Planners Pvt Ltd for alleged violations of environmental and pollution control laws.
On Thursday, the SIT continued its investigation for the third consecutive day. Officials familiar with the probe said the SIT has sought detailed information from multiple departments of the Noida Authority, including the civil, projects and traffic cells, regarding works carried out in Sector 150, particularly in the area surrounding the site where the software engineer died.
The three-member SIT is required to submit its report to the UP government by Saturday. SIT head and ADG of the Meerut Zone, Bhanu Bhaskar, had informed reporters of the timeline on the first day of inspections. A fresh case was registered on Wednesday at the Knowledge Park police station against Abhay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Manish Kumar, Anchal Bohra and Nirmal Kumar.
According to the complaint filed by local Sub-Inspector Regal Kumar, a “very large and wide pit” was found during patrolling on January 20 at plot number SC-02/A3 in Sector 150, close to a public road. The pit appeared to have been dug using heavy machinery and had remained filled with water for several years.
The FIR stated that the pit was extremely deep and that prolonged stagnation of water had resulted in severe pollution, with the water turning muddy over time. It added that rainwater had washed garbage into the pit, worsening air and water pollution and creating serious risks to public health and safety.
Police also noted that there was no fencing, warning signage or any other safety arrangement around the pit. Leaving such a large, open and waterlogged excavation near a public road for an extended period posed a grave threat to human life and significantly increased the risk of major accidents, the FIR said, describing it as a public nuisance.
The FIR further pointed out that multiple construction sites were located close to the pit, indicating violations of construction management norms. Local residents have also complained that a foul smell emanates from the stagnant water, making it difficult to breathe when winds blow towards nearby residential areas.
During the enquiry, police found that the plot had been purchased from the Noida Authority in 2014 by Lotus Greens Construction Pvt Ltd and was later acquired in 2020 by Wiztown. The FIR added that Lotus Greens Construction continues to hold a share in the property.
The first FIR in the case was registered on January 18 on the complaint of Yuvraj Mehta’s father against MZ Wiztown Planners and Lotus Greens. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Abhay Kumar, director of MZ Wiztown Planners, was arrested. He was remanded to judicial custody on Wednesday, officials said, as the investigation into the circumstances leading to the techie’s death continues.