New Delhi: ‘Dad, I’ve fallen into a deep pit filled with water. I’m drowning. Please come and save me. I don’t want to die’ – those were the last words of 27-year-old software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, which will haunt his father Rajkumar Mehta for the rest of his life.
In an absolutely heartbreaking tragedy, the young techie was returning home from his office on a foggy Friday night when his car smashed into a drainage boundary and fell into a deep ditch near Sector 150.
His screams were heard by some passers-by, who tried to help, but there wasn’t much they could do as the car was completely submerged.
Yuvraj managed to call his father and cried for help. He rushed to the spot, but could only watch helplessly.
Local police, divers and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams also arrived at the scene, and launched a rescue operation. They finally pulled the techie and his car out of the ditch after nearly five hours of effort. However, Yuvraj had died by then.
Father blames inadequate infrastructure
Yuvraj’s father blamed authorities for complete failure of infrastructure and rescue preparedness, saying that the tragedy could have been prevented.
“I was requesting everyone there that if anyone knew swimming, please save my son. The authorities had only a rope, nothing else,” Rajkumar told CNN News18.
“Help was not delivered to him. I tried my level best, but I couldn’t help my son due to lack of infrastructure,” said the grieving father.
“There were no signboards, no reflectors, nothing to warn drivers. I lost my son because of this negligence.”
Family files FIR
An FIR has been filed by the family, demanding accountability and corrective measures.
“I want authorities to ensure that all safety measures are put in place so no other parent has to face this,” Yuvraj said.
The tragedy sparked public outrage, as residents staged protests and accused authorities of ignoring repeated demands for reflectors and warning signage along that stretch of the service road.
Police said the matter is under investigation.
Knowledge Park police station in-charge Sarvesh Kumar stated that legal action will be taken if any negligence is found.
