After cops close son’s hit-and-run case, mom gathers evidence for 18 months to force fresh probe

DEHRADUN: A single mother in Dehradun forced police to reopen the hit-and-run case of her 18-year-old son after spending 18 months gathering evidence on her own, following the closure of the probe with a final report saying the unidentified driver could not be traced.

Her son, Chitij Choudhary, was killed on Feb 16, 2024, a day before he was to appear for the UP Police entrance exam, when a speeding dumping truck hit him from behind in Premnagar and fled.For Lalita Choudhary, 43, who works as a beautician and raised Chitij and his elder sister alone after separating from her husband around a decade ago, the case turned into a long fight for justice after she felt police were not moving fast enough.

She told TOI that her son lay unattended on the road for about 45 minutes before a passerby called an ambulance, and he died in hospital the next day after doctors amputated his leg. “My son was left to die on the road. Nobody came to help him for 45 minutes. He died almost like a stray after being hit by a vehicle,” she said.Lalita said Chitij had gone out that night to help his cousin negotiate a land deal and was crossing the road around 2:45 am.

when the truck hit him. After completing the last rites, she got an FIR registered on Feb 19 against an unidentified accused under IPC sections 279 and 304A, but said her repeated visits to the police station yielded no progress. “I was told they did not have a magic wand to solve the case,” she said, adding that the reply made her realise she would have to fight for justice on her own.After performing her son’s terawi rituals on Feb 26, Lalita began searching for evidence from Feb 27 and started trying to obtain CCTV footage to identify the vehicle involved.

She said she managed to get footage of the incident after 11 days, but when she took it to the police station, officers blamed her for circulating it widely and complicating the investigation. She then continued tracking the truck and its driver herself, even as the case appeared to stall officially.Her setback came in Sept 2025, when she learnt that the investigating officer had filed a final report saying the unidentified accused could not be found.

Lalita said she broke down at the police station and pleaded with officers to continue the probe, but when nothing changed, she intensified her effort and eventually identified the truck, its owner and the driver after 18 months of pursuing the case.The breakthrough came when she met farmer leader Rakesh Tikait during a demonstration in Dehradun on Friday in the presence of Dehradun SSP Pramendra Dobal and other senior police officers.

Lalita said Tikait urged him to act, after which she was asked to come to the SSP’s office on Saturday with the evidence she had gathered.Taking note of the material, Dobal ordered a re-investigation in the case. Dehradun (City) SP Pramod Kumar said, “We have taken note of the evidence gathered by Lalita. A thorough investigation will be carried out and strict action will be taken against the accused.”TOI contacted the IO of the case for a response on allegations of inaction, but no avail.