Judge dies after autorickshaw ‘intentionally’ hits him during walk

Police have launched a murder investigation into the death of a Dhanbad Additional Sessions Judge who was hit by an auto-rickshaw on Wednesday.

The incident occurred near Randhir Verma Chowk when ASJ Uttam Anand was out for a morning stroll, according to the police. Around 5.30 am, a passerby drove him to the hospital. However, he succumbed to the injuries.

‘We have instituted a case of murder and are investigating all possible angles. We have retrieved CCTV footage of the said incident. However, we haven’t got any motive yet,’ Dhanbad SSP Sanjeev Kumar said.

No arrests have been made so far. The CCTV footage, which has gone viral, shows a man jogging on the road towards the police line, who the family claims is the deceased judge. Later, it shows an auto-rickshaw swerving from the center of the one-way road to the left, colliding with the guy and speeding away.

Kriti Sinha, the judge’s wife, reported to the police that her husband left the house at 5 am and after he did not return for a long time, the family began seeking him. ‘He was taken to the hospital by locals and an autowala hit him from behind. Please take legal action,’ the complainant said.

Arun Kumar Choudhary, the superintendent of Shaheed Nirmal Mahato Medical College and Hospital, said: ‘The patient was admitted as unknown around 5.30 am. He had sustained an injury to the back of his head. He succumbed to his injuries around 8.30 am.’

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A lawyer with the Jharkhand High Court, Prabhat Sinha, said: ‘It is a clear case of murder. The CCTV footage clearly shows that the auto driver intentionally hitting the judge.’