New Delhi, 23 December (H.S.): Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee President Ganesh Godiyal on Tuesday demanded that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) take over the probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case, citing new revelations and alleged political links.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, Godiyal claimed that an audio clip purportedly featuring former MLA Suresh Rathore had recently surfaced online, in which Rathore allegedly made disclosures related to the case.

During the press briefing, the Congress leader also played a video of a woman, who identified herself as Rathore’s alleged wife. The woman claimed to possess videos of the former legislator, which, according to her, were already circulating on social media platforms.

Godiyal stated that the purpose of holding the press conference in the national capital was to draw the Prime Minister’s attention to the case. “We urge the Prime Minister to order a CBI investigation so that the real culprits can be brought to justice and punished with the severest penalty,” he said.

Ankita Bhandari, a young receptionist at Vanantara Resort located near Rishikesh in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district, was reported missing in September 2022. Two days later, her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal, sending shockwaves across the state.

Subsequently, the resort owner Pulkit Arya — the son of a former BJP minister — along with two staff members, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, was arrested. They were charged under sections related to murder, destruction of evidence, and provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

Bhandari’s family had initially demanded a CBI investigation, a request that was turned down by both the Uttarakhand government and the Supreme Court. The state government instead handed over the case to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed specifically to probe the matter.

Godiyal reiterated that the emergence of new claims and alleged political links call for an independent, transparent CBI probe to restore public faith in the justice process.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar