NOIDA: A youth died after falling into a water-filled pond near Sector 94 in Noida on Wednesday, police said, even as his family alleged that he may have been murdered. The deceased has been identified as Harshit Bhatt, a resident of Indirapuram, who was pursuing an undergraduate degree in physical education at a private university in Sector 125. According to police, Bhatt had appeared for his sixth semester final examination earlier in the day. After the exam, he went with three friends for a picnic near a large water-filled pit at the site of the proposed Noida Habitat and Convention Centre, located behind the Supernova building. Officials said the group allegedly entered the site through a broken section of the boundary wall. The site had earlier been the subject of controversy after the Noida Authority cancelled its tender, alleging that the Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Limited (UPRNNL) had sublet the land to a third party that was carrying out illegal soil excavation, leaving behind deep pits filled with water. Police said Bhatt fell into one such pit and died. However, his family has raised suspicions over the circumstances of his death. Mother of the deceased, Deep Mala says, “I feel that my child was murdered because he was always punctual—he would leave home at the exact same time every day and return home at the exact same time. In fact, every single one of his college lecturers has confirmed this, describing him as a very good and decent young man. But today, all of a sudden—I don’t know what happened… I went to the morgue, and they showed me my child. His entire body was covered in black marks—as if he had been beaten repeatedly. Furthermore, there are V-shaped bruises on his back…” Police have not confirmed any foul play so far and said an investigation is underway. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death.
