Eyewitness alleges police pressure to stay silent in Greater Noida techie death case
Greater Noida: A 26-year-old delivery executive, one of the key eyewitnesses in the death of software engineer Yuvraj Mehta, has alleged that police officers pressured him to avoid speaking to the media and compelled him to give a statement favourable to the police version of events.
Moninder Singh told Hindustan Times on Tuesday that he was summoned to the police station days after Mehta’s death and was allegedly instructed to stay away from public view for nearly ten days. Singh claimed that during the visit, police officers took him to a park near the Knowledge Park police station, reprimanded him for interacting with the media and made him wait there for more than four hours.
According to Singh, officers dictated what he described as a “script” and recorded a fresh video statement from him. He alleged that he was asked to state that police personnel had entered the water-filled pit and made every possible effort to rescue Mehta. “I was scared and agreed at that time, but I later decided that as an eyewitness, I should stand by the truth,” Singh said, adding that his family and local residents were supporting him.
The allegations follows the 27-year-old Yuvraj Mehta’s death, who drowned after his car fell into a rainwater-filled excavation pit on a vacant plot in Sector 150 early Saturday morning. The pit, reportedly dug for a building basement, was estimated to be more than 20 feet deep and possibly as deep as 50 feet. Residents and officials have said the site had no barricades, warning signs or reflective markers, raising serious questions about safety and civic oversight.
Singh, who lives in Sector 150, said he was on a delivery assignment around 1.50 am when he noticed police activity at the site. He reached the spot minutes after Mehta’s car had submerged. Singh said he entered the water wearing a life jacket and searched for nearly half an hour but could not locate Mehta.
A short video recorded by Singh at the site, showing what he alleged was a delayed and inadequate rescue effort, later circulated widely on social media and drew further scrutiny of the authorities’ response.
Responding to the allegations, a senior police officer, speaking to HT on condition of anonymity, said the police had not threatened Singh and added that if such claims had been made, they would be examined and verified.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Daryl Mitchell topples Virat Kohli for top spot in ICC ODI rankings
Dubai (PTI): Indian superstar Virat Kohli was on Wednesday displaced from the top spot by New Zealand swashbuckler Daryl Mitchell in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batters following the latter's stupendous run of form in the just-concluded series.
New Zealand won the series 1-2, their first on Indian soil in the ODI format, to end a 37-year wait.
Mitchell scored two hundreds during the rubber and the 34-year-old also became the fourth-fastest male to nine one-day international hundreds, in just his 54th innings, sitting behind only Imam-ul-Haq (48), Hashim Amla (52) and Quinton de Kock (53).
The Hamilton product is in the form of his life, scoring 352 runs across the three-game series. His series total was the most ever by a New Zealander in a three-match ODI series and the third-most of all time, behind only Pakistan's Babar Azam (360 against the West Indies in 2016) and India's Shubman Gill (360 against New Zealand in 2023).
"With 845 ranking points, he aptly replaces Kohli (795 points) who drops to No.2 on the list in the latest rankings release. The pair sit well clear of a chasing pack that includes Ibrahim Zadran, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Babar Azam," the ICC said in a statement.
It is the second time Mitchell has held the No.1 ranking in ODI cricket, but his previous spell at the top only lasted three days last November before he was overtaken by Rohit.
Only South African AB de Villiers has more ODI centuries in India against India (five) than Mitchell now does (four).
In 54 innings, Mitchell is yet to record an ODI duck, which is the second-longest all-time streak, behind only Kepler Wessels, who was astonishingly never removed for naught across his 105 ODI innings between 1983 and 1994.
The son of notable rugby coach John, who is currently in charge of England's World Cup-winning women's side, Mitchell toiled for much of his 20s, accumulating over 200 games worth of domestic experience in his homeland.
Other notable movement
================
Behind Mitchell and Kohli, Afghanistan's Zadran (third, 764 ranking points) swaps spots with India's Rohit (fourth, 757).
Glenn Phillips and Mitchell combined for a 219-run stand in their series-sealing win in Indore, the second-highest partnership in New Zealand's ODI history. Phillips blasted 106 runs off 88 balls, seeing him climb 16 places up to 20th.
Phillips also rises 14 spots to equal-31st on the list for ODI all-rounders, which Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai remains at the top of.
New Zealand's Michael Bracewell was the big mover in the ODI bowling rankings, jumping six spots to 33rd after his returns in the first two games of the India series.
The top of the bowling ranks remain unchanged, with Afghanistan star Rashid Khan (710 points) remaining the clear frontrunner ahead of England speedster Jofra Archer (670 points).
Rashid also moved up two spots to second on the latest rankings for T20I bowlers, following his two-wicket haul for Afghanistan in the opening match of their series against the West Indies in Dubai.
