Dhanbad judge accident: BJP slams Hemant Soren govt, demands CBI probe

dhanbad judge accident video — Image Source : VIDEO GRAB
Dhanbad judge accident: BJP slams Hemant Soren govt, demands CBI probe

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed the Hemant Soren government over the 'killing' Uttam Anand, District and Sessions Judge-8 of Dhanbad court, in a road accident. BJP' Jharkhand unit president Deepak Prakash has demanded a CBI probe into the killing and alleged that the arrests made in the case are merely a formality.

"The law and order situation in Jharkhand under the Hemant Soren government is deteriorating constantly. The government is just a mute spectator and people are helpless. This incident is unfortunate," he told India TV.

"This should be investigated and culprits should be brought to the books. The CBI should investigate the killing," the BJP leader said.

Uttam Anand was out on a morning walk on Wednesday when the incident happened at Randhir Verma Chowk near the district court in the Sadar police station area of Dhanbad. According to police, around 5 am, a vehicle hit him from the rear and fled. The judge was found to be lying in a pool of blood by an auto-rickshaw driver, who took him to the Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital where he succumbed to the injuries.

The matter figured in the Supreme Court today after senior advocate Vikas Singh, who is also the president of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), mentioned it and said this is a “brazen attack” on the independence of the judiciary. Singh said that investigation in the case must be entrusted to the CBI as the killing of a judicial officer, apparently for not granting bail to a gangster is an assault on the judicial system.

The Supreme Court, however, said the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court has already taken up the matter and concerned officers in the case have been asked to be present before it. “We are aware of the incident and we appreciate the efforts of SCBA. I have spoken to the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. He has taken up the case and has asked the officers to be present there. The matter is going on there. Leave it there,” Chief Justice NV Ramana said.

Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted in Jharkhand to investigate the death of the judge. The SIT was set up after CCTV footage emerged in which the three-wheeler was seen suddenly swerving to the extreme left of the road and hitting the judge before fleeing the spot.

“I have constituted an SIT led by the city SP who will look into all possible reasons. The CCTV footage and all related aspects would be analysed and identify the vehicle. We have respected the victim’s family members to file a complaint and we will register an FIR,” Sanjeev Kumar, Dhanbad SSP, said.