One year of Kanjhawala hit-ad-run: 2 prosecution witnesses testify; four accused in jail

In the year since Anjali was killed in Delhi, the court has examined two prosecution witnesses. The four main accused are currently in jail.

In the one year since 21-year-old Anjali was dragged and killed under the wheels of a car in outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala, the court has examined two prosecution witnesses so far, people aware of the case said.

A candle vigil being held for Anjali at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in January. (HT Archive)

“Two police personnel have been examined in the court and the next date of hearing is February 28,” said advocate JP Singh, who is representing the four main accused.

Anjali, who worked as an usher at an events company, was on her way home in a two-wheeler, when her vehicle was hit, allegedly, by a grey Baleno car early January 1 morning. Police said that she fell, came under the car, and got dragged for at least 14 km.

The four men who were allegedly in the car that night -- Amit Khanna (25), Mithun Kumar(26), Krishan (27), and Manoj Mittal (27) - are currently lodged in jail, while three people accused of shielding them post incident are out on bail.

The main accused have been booked under Sections 302 (murder), 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing hurt), and 201 (destruction of evidence), among other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and relevant sections of Motor Vehicle Act. The other three have been charged with sections 201 (destruction of evidence), 212 (harbouring offender), 182 (giving false information), 34 (common intention), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

At the time of the incident, police filed an FIR under sections pertaining to rash driving and causing death by negligence, but later added section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). Two weeks later, the police added charges of murder, after their probe found that the four men did not stop the car on purpose even though they knew that a body was stuck under it.

The prosecution has three significant witnesses -- Anjali’s friend Nidhi who was with her at the time of the incident, Deepak Dahiya, resident of Ladpur village, who made multiple calls to the police control room after he saw the body being dragged under a car in Kanjhawala, and Raju, the deceased’s relative.

The main accused have not applied for bail since their arrest, said advocate Singh.

HT spoke to accused Krishan’s brother, Mukesh (28), who said that the family has met him in jail. “He is remorseful. While we want him to come out, we will support whatever the court decides,” he said.