Ankita Bhandari’s father says CBI probe should focus on ‘VIP angle’, go beyond what has already been revealed

After Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday recommended a CBI investigation into the murder of Ankita Bhandari, her father said the probe should focus on the “VIP angle” and expressed concern that this was not mentioned in communications by authorities.

A statement from the office of the CM said that “respecting the request and sentiments of the parents of Ankita Bhandari, (the CM) has approved the recommendation for a CBI investigation into the case”.

Bhandari was a 19-year-old receptionist working at the Vanantara resort in Rishikesh when she was killed in 2022 by the resort’s manager, Pulkit Arya, the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya. Her body was found six days after she went missing, less than a month after she joined the resort. While Arya and two of his associates were convicted in the case, there has been an allegation, which recently gained more prominence, that a “VIP” was involved in the crime.

Ankita’s father, Virender Bhandari, told The Indian Express, “We are talking to the lawyer to make sense of the statement of the government. When we met him (the Chief Minister), we had sought a probe specifically into the VIP angle. The probe should go beyond what has already been revealed. It should be under the supervision of a judge of the Supreme Court. I got a call from the secretariat this evening, and it does not sit well with me that they have failed to point out the question of VIP.”

On his meeting with the Chief Minister, Virender Bhandari said, “They gave me a pre-written letter and asked me to read and sign it. But I said I would draft my own letter with the demands we had. I stated clearly that the probe should be centred around the motive for the murder and regarding the VIP. He must have thought we were illiterate.”

He also asked why a probe would go into every aspect again. “The High Court has upheld the life sentence given out by the trial court. Why would they probe it again? I think we should go ahead with the protests until all these demands are met,” Bhandari said.

Earlier on Friday, CM Dhami said, “The government’s objective has always been to ensure justice in a fair, transparent, and sensitive manner from the very beginning, and this commitment will continue in the future as well. As soon as information about the extremely tragic and heartbreaking incident involving late Ankita Bhandari came to light, the state government acted promptly with complete sensitivity and impartiality. Considering the seriousness of the matter, a Special Investigation Team was immediately constituted under the leadership of a woman IPS officer,” he said.

None of the accused were granted bail during the investigation and trial, he said, adding that the lower court eventually handed out life imprisonment to the convicts.

The CM had said that he would meet with Bhandari’s parents and proceed with their demands to obtain justice for her.

Bhandari’s mother, Soni Devi, an anganwadi worker, on hearing the news of the probe, said, “When we met with the CM, we had relayed our concerns about the SIT probe and the loopholes in it. We have been demanding a probe by the agency for three years.”

In December, Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be former MLA Suresh Rathore’s wife, released an audio clip of a purported conversation with Rathore, in which he allegedly identified the “VIP” as a senior BJP leader.

Following the audio clip coming to light, the state has seen protests and candlelight vigils, with a strike planned on Sunday.

Justice For Ankita Committee convenor Mukesh Semwal claimed that the SIT has been under pressure to safeguard the VIP. “The CBI should also look into the working of the SIT because the team had weakened the case while investigating the murder,” he alleged.