A day after techie’s death, Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M sacked; UP govt forms SIT to probe incident

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to look into the death.

The Uttar Pradesh government has removed Lokesh M from his post as Chief Executive Officer of the Noida Authority, a day after a 27-year-old software engineer lost his life after his SUV fell into a deep, water-filled pit in Greater Noida’s Sector 150 late on a foggy night.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the death. The SIT has been asked to submit its report within five days, according to NDTV.

The decision comes a day after the Noida Authority took action against officials responsible for traffic-related works in the area. A junior engineer and in-charge of the Noida traffic cell, Naveen Kumar, has been suspended, while notices have been issued to other officials linked to the site.

The accident occurred on Saturday when 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, a resident of Tata Eureka Park society in Noida, was returning home. Due to poor visibility, his car missed a turn and fell into the flooded pit at the construction site.

The pit, more than 20 feet deep and filled with water, was barely visible from the road. According to police, the area had no barricades, fencing, reflectors or warning lights, making it extremely dangerous, especially during winter fog.

“My son was struggling to save himself. He kept repeating ‘papa bachao, papa bachao’ every time we spoke on the phone,” the father, Raj Kumar Mehta, told news agency ANI. “He was also shouting ‘help, help’ so that the general public might hear his cry for help, but most of the crowd was just watching. Some people were making videos.”

Raj Kumar Mehta detailed how his son used his mobile phone torch to signal his location in the pitch-dark, fog-shrouded pit. However, he asserted that no meaningful rescue attempt was mounted during the crucial window when Yuvraj was still alive, a period he estimates lasted nearly two hours from the accident around midnight until his son’s phone went silent around 2.30 am.

“My son struggled for 2 hours to save his life. Had he been given little support, he might have survived,” he said, directly contradicting official accounts of an immediate and concerted rescue operation.