Ankita Bhandari murder case to be tried in fast-track court; Uttarakhand CM announces Rs 25 lakh compensation for family

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday announced the murder case of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at a report near Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, will be tried in a fast-track court. Dhami also announced Rs 25 lakh as compensation for the family of the Pauri-Garhwal teenager, who was killed allegedly by resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of now-expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two of his associates.  

Dhami yesterday spoke to Ankita's father and assured him of justice in the case. "I had spoken to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over the phone. He has given full assurance that justice will be served in my daughter`s case," said Ankita's father. 

He further stressed on capital punishment for the culprits and said, "We demanded that the culprits be given capital punishment. CM Dhami has also talked about giving full cooperation from the police and administration in the whole matter," Virendra Bhandari added.

The Uttarakhand Chief Minister slammed the opposition tactics over the matter and stressed a fast-track approach in the case. "I have asked that probe be done in fast track court for swift justice to Ankita Bhandari. The accused have been arrested, strictest action taken. STF was also formed. The opposition raising matter only for political reasons, action taken is just as per legal process," said CM Dhami. 

Ankita, who had recently joined her first job as a receptionist at the Vanantara resort in Pauri district, was allegedly killed by Pulkit Arya and his two employees - Ankit and Surabh, after she allegedly refused to provide "special services" to 'VIP guests' brought the BJP leader's son at the resort. Her body was fished out from the Chilla canal near Rishikesh.

A couple who formerly worked at the resort and somehow managed to escape from there a couple of months ago, described the site as a "den of prostitution and drug abuse". They told the SIT how Arya used to bring VIP guests and women for them in the resort, adding that he would arrange expensive liquor and several kinds of drugs for them.  

The SIT, headed by Deputy Inspector General P Renuka Devi, has been camping in Lakshman Jhoola to collect evidence from the crime scene, the CMO said in the tweet.

The SIT has found the list of guests staying at the resort on the day of the incident. It has also collected physical evidence and is examining electronic evidence such as CCTV footage and mobile call records.

Witnesses and the employees of the resort are also being interrogated. The SIT is also trying to get the police remand of the accused.

Meanwhile, Pauri District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogdande said on Tuesday that no evidence related to the case was destroyed when the illegally-built portions of the Vanantara resort, owned by Pulkit Arya, were demolished following the incident.

Before the demolition began, every care was taken to preserve the evidence and only the portions of the resort that were built on encroached land, such as its boundary wall and gate, were brought down, the DM said.

Claims being made on the social media that certain evidence may have been destroyed during the demolition exercise are misleading, he added.

Opposition Congress has been alleging that the demolition of parts of the resort, which was carried out in a hurry, was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence.

The DM also informed that a revenue police sub-inspector, Vaibhav Pratap Singh, was suspended for alleged dereliction of duty as he did not register an FIR despite being informed about Bhandari's disappearance on September 19 itself.

He did not even inform his superiors about such a serious matter and went on leave, the officer added.