Elderly shopkeeper run over twice by Thar driver in Jammu, police launch manhunt

July 29, 2025 by News Desk

A 20-year-old Thar driver has been booked for attempted murder after he deliberately tried to run over an elderly man following a collision in Jammu’s Gandhi Nagar area, an incident that was caught on CCTV and has since triggered widespread outrage online.

The victim, identified as Kamal Dutt (68), a resident of Gandhi Nagar and owner of a vehicle spare parts shop, was riding a scooter when the Thar vehicle—reportedly driven by Manan Anand of Nanak Nagar—hit him at high speed near Green Belt Park on Sunday afternoon.

CCTV footage shows that after knocking the elderly man down, the accused reversed his vehicle and ran over him again while the victim was attempting to stand up. Shockingly, after the second hit, the accused got out of the vehicle, verbally abused the victim, and fled the scene.

The brutal incident drew a stunned reaction from bystanders, but none stepped forward to assist the injured man. Family members later rushed Kamal Dutt to Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu, where doctors said he had sustained serious head injuries and was unable to recognize his family.

Speaking to reporters outside the hospital, Dutt’s relatives demanded the immediate arrest of the accused, calling the attack a deliberate act of violence. “He tried to kill him in broad daylight,” one of the family members said.

Police said the Thar vehicle (registration number JK02DP9594) has been seized and a manhunt is underway to arrest the accused, who is reportedly an engineering student studying outside Jammu Kashmir.

Initially charged under Sections 281 (rash driving) and 125(a) (endangering life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the police later added Section 109 (attempt to murder) after reviewing the CCTV footage.

The driver’s father, Rajinder Anand, who owns the vehicle, has been detained for questioning.

The case has sparked concerns over the rising misuse of powerful off-road vehicles like the Mahindra Thar in urban areas, particularly by young drivers.

Similar incidents have been reported in recent years, underscoring the dangers of reckless driving and road rage.

In July 2023, a Thar driver in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, ran over a woman pedestrian in a hit-and-run case that was captured on CCTV. The vehicle sped through a congested lane before the fatal crash, and the accused was later arrested after public outrage.

Another case in October 2022 from Delhi’s Paschim Vihar involved a Thar carrying a group of young men who allegedly assaulted a biker after a minor road scuffle. Eyewitness videos showed them dragging the biker onto the road and attacking him in full public view. The vehicle was later found abandoned, and police traced the accused using surveillance footage.