NEW DELHI: In a tragic incident that exposed the serious administrative failure, a 27-year-old software engineer died after his car plunged into a flooded pit dug for a commercial mall in Sector 150 of Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
According to reports, the incident occurred around midnight on Friday (Jan 16) when Yuvraj Mehta was returning home. Due to poor visibility and the absence of reflectors, his car rammed into a damaged drainage boundary and fell into the deep pit.
Unable to swim, Mehta tried to stay afloat by climbing onto the roof of his car. He called his father to inform him about the accident and repeatedly shouted for help, hoping someone nearby would hear his cries and rescue him.
Within minutes, his father and the police reached the spot. Some nearby people had also gathered at the spot.
However, the police allegedly did not make any immediate rescue attempt. A local resident named Monindra was the first to jump into the water in an attempt to locate Mehta. However, dense fog and poor visibility made the rescue difficult and he could not be located.
According to the victim’s friend, the police team that initially arrived at the scene said they did not know how to swim. “He was screaming at the top of his voice for help while standing on the car roof. The cops who arrived first said they could not swim. Cranes were called, but no one entered the water to save him,” the friend said.
Mehta reportedly struggled for nearly two hours before drowning.
Officials said the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was called for the initial rescue operation, but the team lacked proper equipment to extract the victim from the nearly 30-fit-deep pit. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was subsequently called in, but their arrival took nearly an hour.
Mehta’s cries for help had fallen silent by the time the rescue teams located him.
Following the incident, the police registered an FIR against the builders — Wiztown Planners Pvt Ltd and Lotus Greens Construction Pvt Ltd — under BNS Section 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), BNS Section 106(1) (causing death by rash or negligent acts), and BNS Section 125 (acts done with rashness or negligence endangering human life). - The Statesman/ANN
