4 months ago
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Opposition parties successful Uttarakhand staged a protestation and demanded a CBI probe into the Ankita Bhandari execution lawsuit connected Sunday (January 4, 2026), a time aft constabulary said that nary "VIP" was recovered progressive successful the case.
Workers from the Congress, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), Mahila Manch, Left parties, and societal organisations gathered astatine Parade Ground successful Dehradun and marched towards the Chief Minister's residence, repeating their request that the lawsuit beryllium handed implicit to the CBI to uncover the sanction of the "VIP" progressive successful the execution case.
During the protest, absorption enactment workers held placards with slogans similar "Give justness to Ankita", "No much delays, situation the Chief Minister," and "Who is the existent culprit, who is soundless successful Delhi," and raised anti-government slogans.
They said the protestation would proceed until their demands were met.
Indresh Maikhuri, the State caput of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), who appealed to radical to articulation the protestation march, said that the connection by Haridwar SP (Rural) Shekhar Suyal, who is progressive successful the probe of the execution case, that determination was nary 'VIP' engagement successful the case, cannot beryllium accepted.
Mr. Maikhuri said that successful its judgement delivered successful May 2025, the Additional District and Sessions Court of Kotdwar had sentenced Pulkit Arya, the proprietor of Vanantra Resort successful Pauri district, and his 2 employees, Ankit Gupta and Saurabh Bhaskar, to beingness imprisonment for the murder.
It was stated that the motive for the transgression was the refusal to supply 'special services' to a 'VIP'.
He said, "Now, if constabulary serviceman Mr. Suyal is denying the engagement of a VIP, it means that you are eliminating the precise motive of the crime. You are not apprehending those whose names are coming up successful this case, but instead, you are paving the mode for the merchandise of those who person already been sentenced." Maikhuri said that their request is that the lawsuit beryllium investigated by the CBI nether the supervision of a Supreme Court justice truthful that the VIP tin beryllium identified.
Ankita Bhandari (19), who worked arsenic a receptionist astatine the Vanantra Resort successful Yamkeshwar, Pauri district, was murdered connected September 18, 2022. Following the revelation of the case, section people's choler spilled onto the streets, prompting the State authorities to signifier a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to analyse the matter.
Mr. Suyal, who was serving arsenic the Additional Superintendent of Police successful Pauri astatine the clip of the execution and was a subordinate of the SIT, said connected Saturday that determination was nary 'VIP' progressive successful the case.
Currently, Mr. Suyal is Superintendent of Police (Rural) Haridwar.
Mr. Suyal told the media present that the 'VIP' mentioned successful the chat betwixt Ankita and her person Pushpdeep was Dharmendra Kumar alias Pradhan, a nonmigratory of Noida, who had stopped astatine the edifice for a abbreviated clip connected September 16 to person a meal.
He said that aft the notation of the 'VIP' came to light, Pushpdeep's statements were recorded 3 oregon 4 times, and past a magisterial connection nether Section 164 was besides recorded, successful which helium stated that erstwhile helium went to the edifice connected the 16th, a idiosyncratic was contiguous determination with 2 oregon 3 different people. He besides described his appearance.
Mr. Suyal said that the edifice unit besides corroborated Pushpdeep's statement.
He said, "While investigating, the constabulary reached that idiosyncratic and recovered retired that helium had spoken to idiosyncratic astir looking for onshore successful the area, who took him to the Vanantra Resort for a meal, and helium stayed determination for lone 2 and a fractional to 3 hours." The constabulary serviceman said that Pushpdeep besides confirmed that this was the aforesaid idiosyncratic helium had seen connected September 16.
He said that according to the SIT's investigation, this was the extremity of the 'VIP terminology', but adjacent then, the squad investigated each anticipation expressed connected societal media oregon different platforms, and each idiosyncratic who booked oregon visited the edifice betwixt September 18 and 22 was investigated from each angle.
However, helium said, "We did not person immoderate important accusation that determination was a idiosyncratic named VIP." Mr. Suyal said that during the investigation, a judgement of the Uttarakhand High Court besides intelligibly mentioned that nary effort was made to support immoderate influential idiosyncratic successful the SIT probe and that the probe was proceeding successful the close direction.
Actress Urmila Sanawar, who claims to beryllium the woman of erstwhile Uttarakhand MLA Suresh Rathore, precocious released videos of herself and audio recordings of her alleged conversations with Rathore connected societal media, alleging that the 'VIP' successful the Ankita execution lawsuit is simply a BJP person named 'Gattu'.
In different video, Ms. Sanawar besides revealed Gattu's name, which caused a disturbance successful the State's politics.
