Ankita Bhandari murder case: Uttarakhand CM assures no attempt to erase evidence, top updates

Written By DNA Web Team | Updated: Sep 25, 2022, 06:58 PM IST

Ankita Bhandari murder case: Receptionist's family has refused to perform the last rites as they demanded the handing over of the post-mortem report.

The outrage in Uttarakhand over the death of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old woman receptionist who was killed allegedly by her employer, has escalated amid the preliminary autopsy report stating that she died due to drowning and suffered antemortem injuries. Meanwhile, the teenager's family has refused to perform the last rites as they demanded the handing over of the post-mortem report. The administration on another hand tried convincing Ankita's family. "We won't conduct her last rites until her post-mortem report is given. We saw in her provisional report that she was beaten up and was thrown in a river. But we're awaiting the final report," said Ajay Singh Bhandari, brother of Ankita Bhandari.

Here are the LIVE updates on the big story:

The outrage in Uttarakhand over the death of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old woman receptionist who was killed allegedly by her employer, has escalated amid the preliminary autopsy report stating that she died due to drowning and suffered antemortem injuries. Meanwhile, the teenager's family has refused to perform the last rites as they demanded the handing over of the post-mortem report. The administration on another hand tried convincing Ankita's family. "We won't conduct her last rites until her post-mortem report is given. We saw in her provisional report that she was beaten up and was thrown in a river. But we're awaiting the final report," said Ajay Singh Bhandari, brother of Ankita Bhandari.

Here are the LIVE updates on the big story:

Live Blog

Ankita Bhandari murder case: Receptionist's family has refused to perform the last rites as they demanded the handing over of the post-mortem report.

06:58 PM

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami chairs a high-level meeting regarding law and order and security in the state. Those in attendance at Dehradun Secretariat included the Chief Secretary and DGP of the state and top police officials. 

06:56 PM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has assured there’s no attempt to erase evidence, adding that the case will be expedited in a fast track court and the culprits won’t be spared. 

“SIT is probing the case from very angle, and evidence related to case has been safeguarded. I assure that there's no attempt to erase the evidence. We'll try to expedite the case in a fast-track court. We won't spare culprits,” Uttarakhand CM PS Dhami said.

06:51 PM

Last rites of murdered Uttarakhand resort receptionist Ankita Bhandari performed at NIT ghat in Srinagar, Pauri Garwhal district of Uttarakhand. 

 

05:53 PM

Mortals remains of Ankita Bhandari are now being taken to NIT ghat from mortuary in Srinagar, Pauri Garwhal district for the teen's last rites.

05:45 PM

05:30 PM

Massive protest erupts outside the mortuary where Ankita Bhandari's father arrived to take her body for last rites in Srinagar, Pauri Garwhal district. Pics emerge:

 

 

 

04:40 PM

03:37 PM

03:16 PM

AAP's women's wing protest in Delhi over Ankita murder case

 

 

02:10 PM

I will cremate my daughter only after I get the final postmortem report. CM has told me that SIT constituted, the case will be tried in a fast-track court: Ankita Bhandari's father

 

01:14 PM

Locals show solidarity, keep markets closed ahead of funeral

Amid the ongoing turbulence across the state over the Ankita Bhandari murder case, the local market was shut on Sunday as the locals showed solidarity. The development came ahead of Ankita's funeral in Garhwal, Srinagar. Traders of Srinagar kept their business establishments wholly closed. They also demanded capital punishment for the culprits.

01:07 PM

Former BJP leader Vinod Arya has refuted all allegations against his son Pulkit Arya, the prime accused in Ankita murder case. He described his son as a ‘seedha saada balak’ (a simple boy). 

01:00 PM

The traffic has been diverted to avoid any inconvenience to commuters. District authorities and police in talks over conducting of last rites of Ankita Bhandari: PL Tamta, CO, Srinagar Police

12:53 PM

12:49 PM

Statement of every resort employee taken, WhatsApp chats being probed too: Police 

“We have called every employee in the resort to the police station; will take everyone’s statements. We’re running a full background analysis on the resort,” DIG PR Devi, SIT In-charge of the Uttarakhand murder case said. Ankita’s WhatsApp chats that have surfaced are also being probed.

12:48 PM

Congress slams BJP, says PM Modi should apologise

The Congress on Saturday attacked the BJP after the son of one of its leaders was arrested in the murder case of a woman receptionist at a resort in Uttarakhand, and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise to the nation. The opposition party termed as “selective action” the BJP expelling Vinod Arya and his son from the party and said it should remove all its lawmakers who are facing charges of crimes against women. Arya’s other son Pulkit Arya was arrested in the murder case of a 19-year-old woman.

12:47 PM

Resort razed to destroy evidence, alleges Ankita's family

The family members of the 19-year-old receptionist, whose murder has snowballed into a controversy in Uttarakhand, have questioned the government’s action in the case and refused to cremate her body. According to reports, the woman’s relatives blocked a highway in protest. The family questioned the government’s move to demolish the resort and alleged that it was done to destroy the evidence in the case.

12:46 PM