Dhanbad judge dies in ‘road accident’, SIT to probe

Additional district and sessions judge in Dhanbad, Uttam Anand, was killed on Wednesday morning after he was hit by an unidentified vehicle in the coal city when he was out on his daily morning walk, police said

Additional district and sessions judge in Dhanbad, Uttam Anand, was killed on Wednesday morning after he was hit by an unidentified vehicle in the coal city when he was out on his daily morning walk, police said.

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Locals rushed him to Dhanbad medical college, where doctors declared him brought dead.

According to the police, they came into action after Anand’s family raised an alarm as he did not return home till 7 am. As police started looking for the missing judge, they got information of the accident case. When they reached the hospital, his driver identified the judge whose body was lying at the hospital.

While initially the incident appeared as a routine accident, CCTV footage accessed by local media channels hinted at foul play, as an auto rickshaw is seen going out of its way to the extreme left of the road, and hitting the judge from behind before fleeing the spot.

Suspecting foul play, the Dhanbad police said they are filing an FIR in this connection, and possible angles will be probed in the case. “I have constituted an SIT led by city SP who will look into all possible reasons. The CCTV footage and all related aspects will be analysed and identify the vehicle. We have requested the deceased’s family members to file a complaint and we will register an FIR,” said Dhanbad senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sanjeev Kumar.

While the police said exact reason behind the suspected foul play will be clear only after investigation, the deceased judge had reportedly recently rejected bail plea of a noted shooter from Uttar Pradesh, who is in jail in a high profile murder case of Dhanbad.