New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the BJP government in Uttarakhand is trying to derail the probe in the Ankita Bhandari murder case after recommending a CBI investigation into the high-profile case.
Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal also claimed that the state government has become inactive on the issue.
“Ankita Bhandari’s parents had demanded in writing that Ankita’s killers be given the death penalty, that the ‘VIPs’ involved in the case also be punished, and that the CBI investigation be conducted under the supervision of a judge,” Godiyal said at a press conference here.
“Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had announced that a CBI investigation would be conducted. The investigation was supposed to be based on the application submitted by Ankita’s parents. But even before the CBI investigation began, an FIR was registered by someone else, and then the talk of a CBI investigation was based on this FIR,” he claimed.
The Congress leader also claimed that suspicion has arisen that the state government and Chief Minister Dhami are employing some tactics to divert the investigation in the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
In 2022, 19-year-old Bhandari, a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Pauri district of Uttarakhand, was murdered. The resort owner, Pulkit Arya — who is the son of a former BJP leader — and two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were subsequently arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court for the crime.
Allegations that a “VIP” was also behind the murder gained traction recently when Urmila Sanawar, a woman claiming to be the wife of former MLA Suresh Rathore, alleged the involvement of a “VIP” in the murder.
The opposition Congress and other organisations began demanding a CBI probe into the case in light of the new allegations.
Bhandari’s parents met the chief minister on January 7, demanding a CBI investigation under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge.
In a letter to the chief minister, Bhandari’s father said that his daughter was murdered because of a “VIP” whose identity is still unknown.
Two days later, the Uttarakhand government recommended an inquiry by the federal agency, with Dhami asserting that no fact or evidence linked to the case will be overlooked. PTI ASK ASK KVK KVK
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