Decode Politics: Why Ankita Bhandari murder row has returned to haunt BJP in Uttarakhand

More than three years after Ankita Bhandari was killed – and seven months after the accused in the case were convicted – fresh allegations have surfaced in the case with a senior BJP leader being accused of being involved in it. This has triggered a wave of protests across Uttarakhand, involving the Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Left, and civil society groups, who are demanding a CBI inquiry into the entire case.

While a few senior leaders of the ruling BJP have supported the demand for a CBI probe, the party dispensation has remained non-committal over it.

Ankita Bhandari was a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantara resort in Rishikesh, who was killed on September 18, 2022 by its manager, Pulkit Arya, the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, barely 20 days after she joined the resort. Her body was found six days after she went missing. The state police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), which investigated Ankita’s murder, found that she was being forced to provide sexual service – which she opposed leading to her murder.

Arya was convicted under various sections of murder, sexual harassment, disappearance of evidence and the Immoral Trafficking Act.

Although the claims that a “VIP” was present at the resort on the day of Ankita’s murder have been rife from the beginning, the SIT said it could not detect the involvement of any influential leader in the case.

A plea demanding a CBI probe to investigate the “VIP angle” even reached the Supreme Court, which disposed it in March 2025, stating that it had to bring closure to the special leave petition as the trial was proceeding in the matter.

In May 2025, a Kotdwar court pronounced three accused — Arya, Ankit Gupta and Saurabh Bhaskar — guilty in the Ankita murder case, sentencing them to life imprisonment.

Amid the current row following new allegations, a former SIT member, Haridwar Rural SP Shekhar Suyal recently said that though they had undertaken a probe into the “VIP angle”, no evidence was found to prove it.

The fresh wave of protests erupted following the release of videos posted by a woman Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the second wife of former Haridwar BJP MLA Suresh Rathore. Sanawar initially posted a video, claiming that Ankita was killed for declining to offer “extra services” to a leader named “Gattu”.

Sanawar later posted another video in which she played an audio of a purported conversation between herself and Rathore, in which the latter allegedly linked BJP national general secretary in charge of Uttarakhand Dushyant Gautam to the case.

Rathore called a press conference and accused Sanawar of defaming the BJP, claiming that the audio clip was “AI-generated”. Two FIRs were registered in Haridwar and Dehradun against Sanawar and Rathore under various sections including provisions under the IT Act.

The Congress then stepped up its demand for a CBI probe into the Ankita murder case. The party pointed to various “loopholes” in the SIT’s probe and accused the BJP of “cover-up” and “shielding” its senior leaders. The Congress alleged that after Ankita’s body was found, parts of the resort were demolished at the behest of Renu Bisht, the local BJP MLA, to “destroy” the evidence.

Gautam dismissed the allegations against him as false, saying that he would resign from his political and social life if they are found to be true.

Sanawar and Rathore are no strangers to row. The BJP had expelled Rathore for violating a ban on polygamy stipulated by the Uniform Civil Code, the party’s pet project, which has been in force in the state. Rathore later claimed that they were never married and had acted as a couple for a film.

Haridwar MP and ex-chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that no matter how senior any leader is, there should be a probe to look into the serious allegations in the matter.

Senior BJP leader and former minister Vijaya Barthwal also appealed to the party-led government that a fresh probe be initiated into the case. Speaking to the media, she said, “It is disgraceful that this happened in Uttarakhand. If injustice against our daughters continues, we cannot call ourselves residents of Devbhoomi. When the incident took place, I was confident that the government would conduct a meticulous probe and expose the accused, but despite the conviction, there are a few lingering questions about whether more people were involved, why the resort was bulldozed, and possible evidence tampering. It is unfortunate that this is being politicised,” she said.

State BJP president Mahendra Bhatt has dismissed Sanawar’s claims and questioned it. While forest minister Subodh Uniyal asked the accusers to bring evidence for the allegations, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Bansal claimed that the movement being run in the name of justice was “falling into the hands of political and anarchic elements”.

The fresh agitation has put immense pressure on the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government, as it has come months after the widespread protests over the UKSSSC paper leak. The government has also been drawing heat from various quarters over increased migration and the unemployment crisis.

Days after the Opposition questioned his silence, CM Dhami on Tuesday said that no one has been shielded from the probe into the Ankita murder case and will not be spared in the future. He told the media that he would meet Ankita’s parents and proceed with the action they demand to obtain justice for their daughter. He also claimed that a conspiracy was afoot to hinder his work in the state.

The Opposition has capitalised on the issue in a bid to dent the BJP’s influence in the state’s hill districts. Several protesters said that if the principal Opposition Congress enters into an alliance with smaller outfits

like Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, it could pose a formidable challenge to the BJP in the 2027 Assembly polls.

While these parties may find it difficult to find a common ground – especially due to key ideological differences on issues like demographic change and immigration into the state – such an alliance may help the Congress attract youth voters.

Senior vice-president of the Congress, Suryakant Dhasmana, claimed that the party’s “prospects for the 2027 polls is bright”. “There could be an alliance only with like-minded parties of the INDIA bloc,” he added.

The Congress has also planned to take out a “Nyay Yatra” to mobilise people for seeking justice in the Ankita case. The Yatra, involving candlelight vigils and protests, is envisaged to cover all 70 Assembly segments across the state in the coming days.