CBI to probe alleged VIP in Ankita Bhandari murder case
The CBI has registered a case against unknown persons to probe the alleged role of a “VIP” in the murder of 19-year-old resort receptionist Ankita Bhandari, whose body was found near Rishikesh in 2022, officials said.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had recommended a CBI inquiry into the case on the demand of Ankita’s parents after an actress, who claimed to be the wife of a legislator, circulated audio and video clips purportedly indicating the involvement of a ‘VIP’ in the murder. The CBI has taken over the state police FIR, which was registered based on a complaint by noted environmentalist and Padma Shri Anil Joshi, to investigate the alleged role of the ‘VIP’. Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Uttarakhand’s Pauri, was murdered by resort owner Pulkit Arya and two of his employees, all of whom have been sentenced to life imprisonment. “Materials are circulating on social media, including audio and video and others, alleging that certain unknown individuals, referred to as ‘VIP’, were involved in a crime related to the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
“Although the perpetrators involved in the murder have been convicted, it is being alleged on social media and other platforms that certain evidence in the case was concealed or destroyed,” the FIR seen by PTI said. According to the established procedure, the CBI, on the request of a state government, re-registers a state police FIR as its own case, which becomes the starting point of the investigation.
The conclusion of the agency is submitted in the form of a chargesheet, which may or may not conform to the allegations in the FIR. Ankita’s parents had demanded a CBI inquiry into the case under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge. Ankita’s father has claimed that his daughter was murdered because of a ‘VIP’, whose identity is still unknown.
Calls for a CBI probe into the 2022 killing intensified ever since Urmila Sanawar, an actress who claimed to be the wife of a legislator, alleged the involvement of a ‘VIP’ in the murder. She released videos and audio recordings on social media, which, she claimed, captured conversations with the MLA and pointed to the role of a “powerful” figure in the murder case.
The fresh claims caused ripples in the state government, prompting sustained protests by political parties and civil society groups, including the opposition Congress, which pressed for a CBI inquiry.
On January 4, workers of the Congress, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, Mahila Manch, Left parties and other organisations gathered at the Parade Ground and marched toward the chief minister’s residence, reiterating their demand to transfer the case to the CBI and disclose the identity of thealleged ‘VIP’.
