Drowning to death is one of the worst ways to die. It is not instantaneous. It is not painless. You want to breathe but you can't. You are haplessly flailing, trying to find that elusive way to survive but there isn't any. First you try fighting the water and stop it from going into your body. But the water will always win. It will get in, via your mouth and penetrate your lung. It does it while causing you immense pain. And only after this ordeal, you die.
This is what Yuvraj Mehta went thru on Saturday when he accidentally overshot a 90 degree turn and fell into a commercial plot filled with water.
But what happened was no accident. It was a murder. One more murder by our apathetic, corrupt system.
First accused are the road designers who thought it was ok to build a road with 90 degree turn in an area which is known for heavy fog for the last 400 years
Then there is the traffic police who didn't mark this sharp turn with barricades, signs, speed breakers or any other stuff that warns someone of this danger. Our govts are so in love with speed breakers that they put them on National Highways. But they forgot to put one in a place where it was absolutely necessary
Then there is the irrigation department. Apparently the area is at the confluence of the Hindon and Yamuna rivers and is prone to water accumulation. In 2023, there was a proposal to build a regulator to prevent this from happening.
For the last 3 years, The UP irrigation dept and Noida Authority were fighting with each other on who should install it and in their bickering, nothing was done. This resulted in the flooding of the barren plot, which drowned Yuvraj.
Today, both are blaming each other for the mishap.
Then there was the absolute lack of response from the authorities on the distress call. Apparently they didn't enter the water because it was too cold. And by the time they did, Yuvraj had died a hideos death
If this war, people who refused would have been summarily executed for cowardice or dereliction of duty. But here they would've been given chai and samosas.
Which brings us to the most galling part.
None of the above guys will ever be punished. Some low level guy will be made the sacrificial lamb. The higher ups will be "suspended" where they will chill at home with half salary. They may even go to the Maldives and post photos on Instagram
One inquiry will be done whose report shall never be released. Because it will never be made
A deliberately weak case will be filed on some private entity which will then go on for the next 150 years.
After a month, the T20 world cup and everyone will forget him. Just like we have forgotten the deaths of the people who died in Indore or those who were burnt to death in the bus fires.
The involved officers will be reinstated, given new departments to ruin and after some time promoted. The Noida Authority guy will even become the State Chief Secretary
Everyone responsible for murdering Yuvraj will take index linked pensions and free health care for life and live in luxury and happiness forever
While the parents of Yuvraj Mehta will never recover from this tragedy and live their life regretting not sending their kid abroad, where he might have survived.