CCTV evidence suggests Jharkhand judge was murdered, two arrested.

Jharkhand: Two persons were arrested on Thursday in connection with the hit-and-run case of Dhanbad Judge Uttam Anand who died after a heavy autorickshaw rammed into him, a top police official said. Both the arrests were made after the recovery of the three-wheeler involved in the incident on Wednesday morning.

The death of the judge on Wednesday was initially thought to be a hit-and-run, which took a new turn, after CCTV footage of the incident surfacing online lead the authorities to launch a murder probe.

Judge Uttam Anand was found hit by a vehicle while on his morning run but died in the hospital according to police reports. His family reported him missing when he did not return at 7 am. The police finally tracked him down to the hospital and established him as the man who had died in a road accident.

The new evidence makes it clear that the hit and run were intentional. The vehicle was identified to be an autorickshaw. IG Homkar told NDTV reporters that two people have been arrested and they confessed.

Judge Anand had recently denied the bail requests of two gangsters after hearing many cases of mafia killings in Dhanbad. He was also set to hear a murder case against Ranjay Singh, a close assistant to MLA Sanjeev Singh.

Jharkhand's High Court and the Indian Supreme Court have expressed their shock at the incident. Lawyer Vikas Singh called it a "brazen attack on the judiciary" and alleged that the local police is complicit in such cases. CJI Ramana informed that the matter is being addressed in coordination with the High Court. Jharkhand's Chief Justice has also criticised the police for their handling the case, and warned of a CBI probe in the event of further inaction.