SP leader Haji Riyaz, IAS officer Deepak Trivedi die due to COVID-19

Former minister Haji Riyaz Ahmad and senior IAS officer Deepak Trivedi died due to COVID-19 on Thursday, official sources said.

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Ahmad (69) died at a hospital in Bareilly during treatment on Thursday morning, his son-in-law Arif said.

He will be laid to rest in his ancestral village Gauhar, he said.


Ahmad, a five-time MLA from Pilibhit, was a minister in Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav governments.

Senior bureaucrat and Revenue Board Chairman Deepak Trivedi (59) also succumbed to the virus during treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) on Thursday morning.

Trivedi, who was also the chairperson of Uttar Pradesh IAS Association, was admitted to the hospital about a fortnight ago.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has condoled both the deaths.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also condoled the demise of Haji Riyaz Ahmad, terming it a loss for the party.