The death of a 27-year-old Indian IT professional after his car fell into an unmarked construction pit has raised questions around urban planning and road safety in India.
Last Friday, at around midnight, Yuvraj Mehta was driving home in Noida, a suburb of the capital Delhi, through dense winter fog when his car reportedly hit a low boundary wall and plunged into the deep pit full of water. The site had reportedly been dug up a few years ago before work was stalled.
Mehta, who didn't know how to swim, climbed on to the roof of his car as it began to sink and rang his father who rushed to the scene and alerted the emergency services. His father told reporters that Mehta remained there for close to two hours, flashing the torch on his phone and shouting for help.
Then, his cries stopped. By the time authorities recovered his body, almost five hours had passed since the accident, local media reported.
Mehta's tragic death has made national headlines, and the fact that it happened so close to the capital city has shocked and angered residents. Protests have been held at the accident site, with demonstrators accusing authorities of negligence and demanding accountability.
His death has also fueled larger questions about the state of Indian roads and urban planning.
Noida techie's [Mehta's] death is essentially a murder. Dreams shattered. Hard work gone in vain. Father's hopes buried. All because of a failed system, one user wrote on X.
This tragedy raises deeper questions about the quality of infrastructure in even big cities like Noida, said another.
Some users shared their own experiences of accidents because of bad roads, lack of adequate signage and poor lighting after dark. Some also complained about open drains and construction sites on roads close to their homes becoming death traps, especially for children and the elderly.
Since the accident, police in Noida have registered two cases against the real estate developers of the construction site where the pit was located following a complaint from Mehta's family.
On Sunday, the government of Uttar Pradesh state, where Noida is located, removed a senior official from the township's governing authority and ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the rescue operation and site safety.
Since then, police have arrested Abhay Kumar, one of the owners of the construction site, for alleged culpable homicide due to negligence under India's criminal code. Kumar is in custody and has not commented on the allegations.
In media interviews, Mehta's father Rajkumar has said that he received a call from his son soon after the accident happened. He rushed to the spot but said that the site was pitch dark and shrouded in fog, and that his son was barely visible in the murky waters.
Moninder, a passerby, attempted to save Mehta but couldn't locate him. Eyewitnesses claimed emergency responders were unwilling to enter the freezing water, citing hazards.
Noida's police insisted that their efforts were apparent, but local officials admitted that the response was inadequate and that investigations would continue.
