Yuvraj Mehta, 27, died after his car fell into a deep water-filled pit near a construction site in Noida Sector 150 on the night of January 16. He called for help for nearly two hours before drowning. Police said the post-mortem showed water in his lungs and cardiac arrest as cause of death. His body was found after a long search on January 17. Earlier, a truck had crashed at the same spot but the driver survived. Locals blamed lack of barricades and warning signs for the hazard. Noida police denied negligence, saying rescue teams used cranes, ladders, and boats but heavy fog limited visibility. The pit was from a halted commercial construction by MZ Wiztown Planners, after the Noida Authority rejected a revised mall plan in 2022. The excavated basement was left open and unbarricaded. After Mehta’s death, the Uttar Pradesh government removed the Noida Authority CEO and ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe. The SIT includes senior officials and must report in five days. Police arrested Abhay Kumar, director of MZ Wiztown Planners, accusing him of negligence. An FIR was filed against two developers on a complaint by Mehta’s father. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the incident, saying India’s urban collapse stems from lack of accountability, tweeting, “Roads kill, bridges kill, fires kill, water kills, pollution kills, corruption kills, indifference kills.” The probe continues with authorities seeking answers on this tragic accident. (Inputs from PTI)