Dehradun: After fortnight long protests across the state, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami recommended a probe by the CBI into the Ankita Bhandari murder case. Following the new disclosures made by Urmila Sanwar, the estranged wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, the demand for a CBI investigation in the high profile murder case was gathering momentum in Uttarakhand. The parents of Ankita Bhandari too had demanded a CBI probe in the murder case of their daughter.
On Friday, the CM 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,’’
The CM said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted under the leadership of a woman IPS officer when the incident first came to light. The CM said that all the accused related to the case were arrested and the State government ensured effective legal representation. As a result, none of the accused were granted bail during the investigation and trial. After a thorough investigation by the SIT, a chargesheet was filed against the accused and upon completion of the trial, the lower court awarded life imprisonment to the convicts. “The State government’s intent is absolutely clear and that no fact or evidence will be overlooked. Ankita was not just a victim but was also our sister and daughter,’’ he added.
The parents of Ankita Bhandari had met Dhami on January 7 and handed him a letter demanding an enquiry by the CBI into the case under the supervision of a Supreme Court Judge. In the letter, Ankita’s father said that his daughter was murdered because of a ‘VIP’ whose identity was still unknown. He wrote, “I appeal to the government to get this case investigated by the CBI under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge to apprehend the VIP.”
Congress leader and LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday invoked the murder of Ankita Bhandari in Uttarakhand to accuse the BJP of protecting the powerful and running “corrupt double-engine governments” that have, he said, destroyed the lives of ordinary citizens across the country.
In a post on X, Gandhi said the brutal killing of Ankita Bhandari had shaken the nation but critical questions remained unanswered even today. He asked which BJP-linked “VIP” continued to enjoy protection and when the principle of equality before law would actually be enforced.
He alleged that corruption, abuse of power and political arrogance had become deeply embedded in the BJP’s system, from the top down.
The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal said that the recommendation of CBI probe by the CM shows that mistakes were done in the past. He termed the recommendation as the victory of the struggle and patience of parents of Ankita Bhandari, different political parties, social organisations and the workers of the Congress party. The PCC president however added that the Congress party wants the CBI probe should be monitored by a sitting judge of either Uttarakhand High Court or Supreme Court.
