DEHRADUN: A retired Army Brigadier was killed on Monday morning after being caught in the crossfire of a violent road rage incident in Dehradun.
The incident occurred around 6.50 am in the Rajpur police station area, near the Malsi zone on the busy Mussoorie Road. What began as a trivial dispute over overtaking between the occupants of a Delhi-registered Toyota Fortuner and a Mahindra Scorpio quickly spiralled into a fatal confrontation.
According to preliminary police reports, the occupants of the Scorpio began chasing the Fortuner, intent on forcing it to stop. In a reckless bid to immobilise the vehicle, the attackers opened fire at the Fortuner’s tyres.
The stray gunfire struck Brigadier (Retd) Mukesh Joshi, who was out for his routine morning walk along the roadside. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene as the Fortuner, struck by gunfire and losing control, rammed into a tree near the Government Primary School in Johdi village. Not content with shooting at the vehicle, the assailants in the Scorpio reportedly assaulted the occupants of the Fortuner and caused further damage to the car before fleeing the scene. Two occupants of the Fortuner sustained injuries in the subsequent attack and have been hospitalised for treatment.
Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Parmendra Dobhal, who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident was reported, condemned the violence.
“This is an extremely unfortunate incident where an innocent life has been lost due to a dispute over overtaking,” SSP Dobhal said. “We have launched a massive manhunt to trace the assailants. Police teams are scanning CCTV footage and have set up barricades across the district to intercept the suspects.”
The death of Brigadier Joshi has sparked public outrage, with residents demanding swift justice and stricter enforcement of traffic laws.
“He was a distinguished officer who served the nation, only to lose his life to the lawlessness of armed thugs,” said Anita Shastri, president of Veerbhadra Society, while consoling the officer’s wife, Renu, in Johdi village.