Who Is Dentist-Turned-IAS Lokesh M Fired Over Noida Drowning Death?

Days after the death of a young engineer in Noida sent shockwaves across the region, IAS officer M Lokesh was removed from his post as Chief Executive Officer of the Noida Authority, with the Uttar Pradesh

government also constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case.

M Lokesh, a 2005-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, originally belongs from Bengaluru. The 49-year-old officer had been serving as CEO of the Noida Authority for nearly 30 months before being divested of the charge in connection with the case.

Before his appointment to the Noida Authority, Lokesh had an extensive administrative career, having served as District Magistrate in Amroha, Ghazipur, Etah and Kushinagar. His career, however, came under public scrutiny earlier this year after the New Year 2026 calendar of the Noida Metro Rail Corporation sparked controversy for featuring his photograph playing the guitar.

Interestingly, Lokesh began his professional journey as a dentist before deciding to pursue a long-cherished ambition of joining the civil services. After preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, he cleared the exam and entered the IAS. In 2006, he was appointed Assistant Magistrate in Aligarh district, marking the beginning of his administrative career in Uttar Pradesh.

27-year-old Yuvraj Mehta, a tech professional was on his way back from work and was just minutes away from his home early on Saturday morning when his SUV crashed through a damaged roadside barrier and fell into a deep, water-filled construction pit excavated for a project in Noida’s Sector 150. The young professional managed to perch on top of his car and tried seeking help for almost two hours as rescue officials and his helpless father looked on. In the end, Mehta lost the battle to civic apathy and his body was recovered around 4.30am on Saturday.

The investigation into Mehta’s death is currently underway.