Noida techie death: UP govt shunts Noida Authority CEO; CM Yogi Adityanath orders SIT probe

Two days after a 27-year-old software engineer drowned in a 70-foot-deep ditch in Noida’s Sector 150, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday removed Noida Authority’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lokesh M, and put him on a “waitlist”.

The government order came shortly after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of Yuvraj Mehta’s death and ordered an SIT (Special Investigation Team) probe into the incident.

The UP government said a three-member SIT, headed by Additional Director General, Meerut Zone, Bhanu Bhaskar, will inquire into the circumstances leading to the incident and submit a report within five days to the Chief Minister.

A 2005-batch IAS officer from Karnataka, Lokesh M was appointed CEO of the Noida Authority on July 20, 2023.

Around 12.30 am on Saturday, Mehta was driving back to his Noida home from his office in Gurgaon when he reportedly went off the road in the thick fog. Sources said it appeared that the car went over a low, partially broken, boundary wall and fell into an empty plot on which a deep pit had been dug for the construction of a building several years ago. The pit was filled with water.

According to his family, Mehta managed to climb out of the partially submerged car and stood on its roof, screaming for help for nearly two hours. Although his voice could be heard, he was apparently not visible in the fog.

According to sources in the Noida Police, police and fire services personnel made efforts to rescue him, even as they waited for equipment and specialists to arrive. Officials said Mehta drowned at around 2.30 am.

The post-mortem examination on Monday revealed that Mehta died due to asphyxia followed by cardiac arrest, sources said.

Mehta, who lost his mother two years ago, lived with his father at Tata Eureka Park in Noida’s Sector 150 — about 900 metres from where he drowned. He was the sole earning member of his family.

In his complaint to the police, his father, Raj Mehta, alleged that poor visibility and the damaged boundary wall caused the car to plunge into the ditch.

Calling the incident “very tragic”, Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Rajeev Mishra had said the local police, in coordination with the Fire Brigade, took “swift action” and deployed ladders, cranes, searchlights and a makeshift boat.

“The final rescue was ensured with the involvement of the SDRF (State Disaster Response Force). There was zero visibility at the time of the incident. Based on the written complaint filed by the victim’s family, a case has been registered. Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty,” he had said.

On Sunday, the Greater Noida Police registered an FIR against two real estate firms, based on the father’s complaint, under BNS Sections including culpable homicide, causing death by negligence, and endangering life and personal safety.

In a statement on Sunday, the Noida Authority had said a show-cause notice had been issued to those responsible for traffic-related work in the area, and the services of a junior engineer had been terminated.

Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in t... Read More