Amid mounting pressure from protesters and opposition parties, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said the state government is ready for any kind of investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case. He added that a final decision would be taken only after consulting Ankita’s parents and respecting their wishes.
The Opposition has been holding protests across the state, demanding that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Speaking to mediapersons, the chief minister said people of Uttarakhand have expressed their views on the issue with sensitivity. He said Ankita’s parents are the most affected by the case and their opinion must be given priority.
“I will speak to her parents as the chief servant of the state. After discussing the matter with them and examining the legal aspects, we will move forward according to their wishes to ensure justice for their daughter,” Dhami said.
The Congress and several social organisations have been seeking a CBI investigation, saying it is necessary to identify a ‘VIP’ allegedly linked to the case.
In 2022, Ankita, a 19-year-old receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Pauri district, was murdered. The resort owner Pulkit Arya, the son of Vinod Arya, who was also a BJP senior worker from Haridwar, and two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were later arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court.
The case recently came to the spotlight after actress Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the wife of former MLA Suresh Rathore, shared audio recordings on social media. In the clips, she alleged that the ‘VIP’ mentioned in the case is a BJP leader known as “Gattu” and later naming BJP leader Dushyant Gautam in a video. Gautam has denied the allegations and termed them politically motivated, and triggered a fresh political controversy in the state.
Also Read: Ankita Bhandari case: BJP’s Dushyant Gautam files plea in HC
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