Amid widespread protests demanding a CBI probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday recommended an investigation by the central agency.
A communication from the office of the CM said that “respecting the request and sentiments of the parents of Ankita Bhandari, (the CM) has approved the recommendation for a CBI investigation into the case”.
Bhandari was a 19-year-old receptionist working at the Vanantara resort in Rishikesh when she was killed by the resort’s manager, Pulkit Arya, the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya. Her body was found six days after she went missing, less than a month after she joined the resort.
“The government’s objective has always been to ensure justice in a fair, transparent, and sensitive manner from the very beginning, and this commitment will continue in the future as well. As soon as information about the extremely tragic and heartbreaking incident involving late Ankita Bhandari came to light, the state government acted promptly with complete sensitivity and impartiality. Considering the seriousness of the matter, a Special Investigation Team was immediately constituted under the leadership of a woman IPS officer,” he said.
None of the accused were granted bail during the investigation and trial, he said, adding that the lower court eventually awarded life imprisonment to the convicts.
The CM had said that he would meet with Bhandari’s parents and proceed with their demands to obtain justice for her.
Bhandari’s mother, Soni Devi, an anganwadi worker, on hearing the news of the probe, said, “When we met with the CM, we had relayed our concerns about the SIT probe and the loopholes in it. We have been demanding a probe by the agency for three years.”
Story continues below this ad
In December, Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be former MLA Suresh Rathore’s wife, released an audio clip of a purported conversation with Rathore, in which he allegedly identified the “VIP” as a senior BJP leader called Gattu. As allegations swirled that Gattu was BJP national general secretary Dushyant Gautam, he moved the Delhi High Court, accusing Sanawar, her husband and opposition parties of defaming him.
Following the audio clip coming to light, the state has seen protests and candlelight vigils, with a strike planned on Sunday.
Justice For Ankita Committee convenor Mukesh Semwal claimed that the SIT has been under pressure to safeguard the VIP. “The CBI should also look into the working of the SIT because the team had weakened the case while investigating the murder,” he alleged.
Congress’s Ganesh Godiyal said that by recommending a CBI probe, the government has acknowledged its faults. “This is a culmination of the movement of the people of the state. It is a result of the resilience and struggle of Ankita’s parents, the civil society groups and the Congress. It remains to be seen if the probe will be headed by a judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court,” Godiyal said.
