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In a controversial development in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case, Vinod Arya, father of the main convict, Pulkit Arya, has demanded a probe into the victim's parents, alleging they "harassed, humiliated, and coerced" her prior to the incident.
Addressing a press conference in Haridwar, Arya cited a compilation of alleged chat logs running into approximately 4,800 pages, asserting that his son was never mentioned in the conversations. He also made a direct appeal to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, asking the state government to hold those responsible who allegedly drove the 19-year-old to distress. "The primary objective of this press conference is for you to read these chat logs so that the full truth is brought before society. We want the government to include in the investigation those who harassed, humiliated, and coerced Ankita, and to take action against them as well," Vinod Arya told reporters. Reiterating that there was no political angle or VIP involvement in the case, Arya said, "The chat consists of approximately 4,800 pages... to our knowledge, there is no VIP involved in this entire case. We have no connection to the elections, nor are we trying to steer the narrative. Our sole demand is that action be taken against those who harassed Ankita, which is her father and mother." Questioning the charges framed against the staff working at the Vanantara Resort, Arya claimed that low-wage employees were unfairly implicated due to public pressure, leading to severe tragedies in their families. "Throughout the entire set of chats, Ankita never once mentioned Pulkit... these were young men earning Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 in their jobs, yet they were charged. How is this justice? The mothers of two of these young men even died by suicide because of this; will the government not bear the burden of this sin?" Arya asked. Addressing reporters at the Haridwar Press Club alongside his advocate, Anuj Pundir, Arya made public a voluminous set of alleged chats spanning approximately 4,085 pages between the deceased, Ankita Bhandari, and her friend Pushpdeep, claiming they were obtained from the High Court. Terming the SIT investigation "flawed," Anuj Pundir alleged that the conviction of Pulkit and his associates was the result of mounting public outrage and political pressure rather than impartial scrutiny. He also pointed fingers at Ankitas friend Pushpdeep and his family, alleging their role in the sequence of events. "Ever since day one of this case, the atmosphere in Uttarakhand has been such that the pressure that landed three people in jail just kept growing. The governments kept giving in to it, and as a result, the government somehow influenced the court's judgment too, since they were working under pressure. And now, that same pressure is rearing its head in Uttarakhand once again regarding the VIPs," advocate Anuj Pundir told reporters. Dismissing the claims of high-profile involvement, Anuj Pundir said the press conference was called to dispel rumours that are once again creating unrest in the state. "We held a press conference to clarify that we've read every single document, and there's no VIP involvement whatsoever. Because of these VIP rumours, a massive crowd is once again gathering in Uttarakhand. That's why you're here todayto help us go over the chats. We shared with you that the chats between the deceased Ankita Bhandari and Pushpdeep, which were sent to her boyfriend, are about 4,084 pages long. We got them from the High Court," he said. Raising serious questions over the recovery of the victim's body from the Chilla canal, Anuj Pundir alleged discrepancies in the timeline and police records, suggesting the recovery was staged. "There are so many flaws in the SIT investigation. When the prosecution presented its case in court, I even proved that the dead body they claimed was Ankita Bhandari'swhich was found in the canal on the 24th after Pulkit's arrest on the 22ndwasn't possible. He had already been sent to jail by then, and on the 22nd, he had already given a statement saying, 'Sir, we pushed her into the canal.' So, if the body hadn't been found in the canal, where would the SIT's case even stand?" he said. He further alleged: "They examined the executive engineer at the Chilla barrage as a witness, and they reviewed the CCTV footage in court. I asked him questions, and it has been shown that at 8:05, when he entered his GD, there was no body floating there....An SDRF boat comes in, and a body is brought out of it, wrapped in a bedsheet and packed in a PPE kit." "I told them the camera timingthat you enter the GD at 8:05 saying a woman's body is floating, and then you call the SDRF. On camera, at 8:07, they are seen bringing it in, and by 7:52 they pull the bedsheet out. So, wasn't this a planted body? What was the SIT's need to plant this body? Because on the 22nd, after arresting the accused, they had already written in his statement that 'we pushed her into the canal here,'" Anuj Pundir alleged. Anuj Pundir stated that despite approaching the police and SIT earlier, his submissions were disregarded. He demanded that the CBI review the 4,085 pages of chat records in its ongoing investigation to ensure an impartial probe. The row is linked to the September 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort near Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. (ANI)
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