‘Order is incomplete’: Ankita Bhandari’s family rejects Dhami govt’s CBI probe decision

Ankita's mother exclusively tells ThePrint they wanted a Supreme Court judge–monitored CBI probe but Uttarakhand CM did not mention this. 'Agitation still on, our demands not met.'

Ankita Bhandari's parents Virender Singh Bhandari and Soni Devi, in Dehradun | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

Dehradun:  Hours after the Uttarakhand government ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case, the aggrieved family said that the “order is incomplete.”

“We want a Supreme Court judge–monitored CBI probe. But the CM has nowhere mentioned anything like this,” Ankita’s father Virender Singh Bhandari told ThePrint.

The order came two days after Ankita’s parents met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Dehradun. The meeting took place against the backdrop of renewed protests across the state.

The Pushkar Dhami government order neither mentions a Supreme Court–monitored probe nor provides any clarification regarding an alleged ‘VIP’. “The order is incomplete, and the agitation is still ongoing. This order is superficial. Our demands haven’t been met,” Ankita’s mother Soni Devi told ThePrint.

Ankita, 19, was working as a receptionist at a Rishikesh resort at the time of her death in September. Pulkit Arya, the resort’s owner and son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, is serving a life term for her murder. During the trial, Ankita’s friends and colleagues told the court she was being pressured to provide “extra services” to VIPs and refused to do so.

For over a week, Uttarakhand has been witnessing massive protests triggered by an audio leak involving a Saharanpur-based actor, Urmila Sanowar. In the audio, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Suresh Rathore is purportedly heard speaking to Sanowar about the presence of a ‘VIP’ during the Ankita murder case. 

Since then, the BJP-ruled state has seen widespread protests demanding an SC-monitored CBI probe and the identification of the alleged ‘VIP’.

Activists and local residents are also deliberating their next steps following the government order. But for now, the ‘Uttarakhand Bandh’ on 11 January has been called off. 

P.C. Thapliyal, a veteran navy officer, said the government is misleading the people of Uttarakhand. “They are misleading us by not including a Supreme Court–monitored probe. We also want to know who the VIPs are,” he said.

Thapliyal has been spearheading the protests in Uttarakhand. He said that a meeting will be held on Saturday to decide the future course of action. “We are closely watching the steps taken by the government, and we will decide our next move accordingly,” Thapliyal said.  

(Edited by Tony Rai)