Manhunt on For Engineering Student in JK Road Rage Case

SRINAGAR: Police in Jammu city have launched a large-scale search operation to track down a 20-year-old engineering student, Manan Anand, who is absconding after allegedly running over an elderly businessman in a case that has stirred outrage across the city.

The incident unfolded on Sunday afternoon in the upmarket Gandhi Nagar area, where 68-year-old Kamal Dutt was gravely injured in a hit-and-run caught on multiple CCTV cameras. The footage, which has since gone viral, shocked citizens and showed the gravity of the act.

According to The Indian Express, the CCTV footage revealed Manan Anand’s Mahindra Thar SUV hitting Dutt’s scooter while overtaking another vehicle, causing Dutt to fall onto the road. “The accused then drives forward, and when Dutt stands up, he reverses the SUV onto Dutt, causing serious injury,” Indian Express reported, citing police officials familiar with the case.

Eyewitness accounts quoted by The Tribune indicated that Anand appeared to act with intent: “After hitting Dutta, Anand reversed the vehicle and ran him over a second time as he attempted to stand.” At the time, bystanders did not come to Dutt’s aid, he was finally rushed to hospital by his family. Doctors at the Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu, confirmed that Dutt remains in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), unconscious and suffering from severe head and neck trauma. “He is in the ICU, unconscious but showing slight improvement. He is on oxygen support and is being closely monitored,” a senior doctor told The Tribune.

Jammu Police, meanwhile, have formed several teams to locate Manan Anand. “Police have detained the accused’s father, Rajinder Anand, who owns the SUV,” a senior official was quoted as saying. The vehicle has already been seized for forensic and mechanical examination.

Superintendent of Police (South) Ajay Sharma told reporters that the investigation has made use of “technical leads, including phone and surveillance data, to track Manan’s location.” He added: “The driver appeared to be acting aggressively, but whether he was under the influence of drugs is under investigation. There is no indication of personal enmity it appears to be a case of pure road rage.”

Initially, Anand was charged with rash and negligent driving as well as endangering life under sections 281 and 125(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). However, after a thorough review of the viral CCTV footage, police added Section 109 (attempt to murder) to the charges.

The brutal incident and the dramatic search for the accused have sparked widespread condemnation and revived concerns about road rage and public safety in Jammu. Officials have assured the public that all efforts are being made to bring the accused to justice.

Police urge anyone with relevant information about the whereabouts of Manan Anand to come forward as the investigation continues.