Three years after Ankita Bhandari was killed and seven months after the accused in the case were convicted, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has approved the request for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the high-profile murder case of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari.
As per a report by IANS, Dhami approved the request after meeting with grieving parents of the late Ankita Bhandari. The announcement comes amid renewed public outrage and widespread protests across the state, triggered by recent controversies doing rounds on social media alleging the involvement of a ‘VIP/ senior BJPleader’.
What is the case about?
Ankita Bhandari was a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantara resort in Rishikesh, who was killed on September 18, 2022 by its manager, Pulkit Arya, the son of former BJP leader (Vinod Arya) along with his associates roughly 20 days after she joined the resort.
Her body was found six days after she went missing. The state police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), which investigated Ankita’s murder, found that she was being forced to provide sexual service – which she opposed leading to her murder.
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Following the conclusion of state SIT’s investigation, Arya was convicted under various sections of murder, sexual harassment, disappearance of evidence and the Immoral Trafficking Act and sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court in May 2025?
Although the claims that a “VIP” was present at the resort on the day of Ankita’s murder have been rife from the beginning, the SIT formed in 2022 said it could not detect the involvement of any influential leader in the case.
What led to the case’s resurgence in the public eye?
The fresh wave of protests demanding a CBI probe into the ‘VIP’ angle erupted following the release of videos containing audio clips of a senior BJP leader, posted by a woman Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the second wife of former Haridwar BJP MLA Suresh Rathore.
A few days back, Sanawar posted a video claiming that Ankita was killed for declining to offer “extra services” to a leader named “Gattu”. Sanawar later posted another video in which she played an audio of a purported conversation between herself and Rathore, in which the latter allegedly linked BJP national general secretary in charge of Uttarakhand Dushyant Gautam to the case.
Following the release of this footage, a fresh wave of protest has been triggered across Uttarakhand, involving the Opposition parties, citizens and civil society groups.
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Responding to the protest, Rathoe recently called a press conference and accused Sanawar of defaming the BJP, claiming that the audio clip was “AI-generated”. Two FIRs were registered in Haridwar and Dehradun against Sanawar and Rathore under various sections including provisions under the IT Act.
Political parties on CBI probe
One of the loudest advocates for a CBI probe into the Anikta Bhandari murder case, Congress has pointed to various “loopholes” in the SIT’s probe and accused the BJP of “cover-up”. The Congress alleged that after Ankita’s body was found, parts of the resort were demolished at the behest of Renu Bisht, the local BJP MLA, to “destroy” the evidence.
Meanwhile senior BJP leader Dushyant Gautam dismissed the allegations against him as false, saying that he would resign from his political and social life if they are found to be true.
Former minister and BJp leader, Vijaya Barthwal recently also advocated for a fresh probe to be initiated into the case. “It is disgraceful that this happened in Uttarakhand. If injustice against our daughters continues, we cannot call ourselves residents of Devbhoomi,” she told reporters on January 7.
While a few senior leaders of the ruling BJP have supported the demand for a CBI probe, the party overall has remained divided on the issue. |
