Uttarakhand CM recommends CBI probe in Ankita Bhandari case

Speaking to ANI in Dehradun, CM Dhami said, "I had met the parents of Ankita Bhandari. They lost their daughters and faced many difficulties. Respecting the sentiments of her parents, we have recommended a CBI inquiry into the case."

On Thursday, Chief Minister Dhami met the parents of late Ankita Bhandari and assured them of the state government's full support and commitment to ensuring justice in the case.

According to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Dhami met Ankita Bhandari's father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, and mother, Soni Devi, at the Chief Minister's residence in Dehradun. During the meeting, the bereaved parents shared their views and emotions related to the case with the Chief Minister.

CM Dhami listened to them with complete sensitivity and assured them that the state government stands firmly with the affected family.

The release stated that CM Dhami said that ensuring justice in this matter is the state government's highest priority.

He also assured the bereaved family of all possible support and positive action on their demands.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court restrained several defendants, including the Indian National Congress (INC) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), from publishing or circulating social media content allegedly linking Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam to the Ankita Bhandari murder case, after finding that a prima facie case of defamation was made out.

The controversy traces back to the murder of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old resort receptionist in Uttarakhand, whose body was recovered from a canal in September 2022.

The case involved allegations that she was being pressured to provide sexual favours to guests at a resort run by Pulkit Arya, the son of a former BJP leader. A trial court subsequently convicted Arya and two others, sentencing them to life imprisonment. (ANI)