What's The Truth? Delivery Agent's Contrasting Versions Raise Fresh Questions Over Noida Techie's Death

Noida: Who is responsible for the death of Yuvraj Mehta? The police, the local authorities, the rescue team or the builder? As residents of Noida are still looking for answers, shifting versions of truth by a key eyewitness have left locals confused about who should actually be held accountable for the tragedy that unfolded on January 18, when the 27-year-old software engineer's SUV plunged into a waterlogged construction pit and he died after waiting for hours for the rescue team to pull him to safety.

A Flipkart delivery agent named Moninder Singh jumped into the freezing water to rescue Mehta in an attempt that unfortunately failed.

Rescue Team's Laxity? 

Following Mehta's death, Moninder had claimed that after falling in the ditch, Mehta kept yelling for help for around two hours. "Police, SDRF and fire team were present at the spot. But no one helped him; they said, 'The water is freezing, we won't go inside. There are construction bars, we won't go inside.'" Moninder had added, "The one responsible for the death is government authorities. When I came...SDRF was sitting and talking about the freezing water... I said I will go inside." He further narrated how he tied a rope around his waist and entered 50 metre into the water and tried to find Yuvraj Mehta for around 30 minutes. "I was unable to find the man or his car. Hence, after 30 minutes of search, I came out," he stated.

His claims quickly put the police and the rescue team in the spotlight for lacking preparedness to act in cases of emergencies. 

Witness' U-Turn

Hours after making the explosive claims, Moninder took a U-turn and changed his statement entirely, refusing to blame the rescue team or the police. This time he blamed dense fog for hindering the rescue operation.
In the new statement, he said that police was engaged in its procedures when he reached the scene. "Police was trying their best to save the man. Sometime later, SDRF, NDRF and fire brigade teams arrived on time," he stated, adding, "Because of the dense fog, neither the boy not his car was visible." He stated that the authorities made all possible efforts to rescue him.

Police Pressure?

Following his contrasting statements, Moninder stated that police had scolded him for speaking to the media. Regarding his second statement, he said, “I was directed to give statements in favour of the police.” He stated that he was told to say that police officers went inside the water and made all possible efforts to rescue Yuvraj Mehta.

What's The Truth?

The contrasting statements of the key witness to Yuvraj Mehta's death have raised several questions about what unfolded on the accident spot on January 18. It has also forced residents to question whether the police gave Moninder Singh a script to save their image and put a curtain behind the alleged neglect shown by police and the rescue teams on the tragic night that led to the death of a man who, for hours, begged them to save his life.

Also Read- No Night Lights, No Reflectors, No Barricades Amid Dense Fog: Serious Lapses Raise Questions After Noida Techie's Death