Dehradun: Two years ago, on 18 September, murder case of a receptionist Ankita Bhandari shook the Uttarakhand when a BJP leader’s son and his friends killed the girl for not giving the ‘special service’ to customers of his ‘Vanantra’ resort, close to Rishikesh. After two years of this incident, Ankita’s family is still waiting for justice as case is still under judicial process.
High profile murder case with involvement of BJP leader son
The Ankita Bhandari murder case gained significant attention due to the involvement of Pulkit Arya, the main accused and son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya. Pulkit, who owns Vanantra Resort, along with Resort Manager Saurabh Bhaskar and Assistant Resort Manager Ankit Gupta, are now facing trial on charges of abduction and murder. These accused are still in judicial custody.
Who was Ankita Bhandari
Ankita Bhandari was a young receptionist from Pauri, Uttarakhand. Born on November 11, 2003, she began working at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh in August 2022. Within just 20 days of starting her job, Ankita discovered the resort’s dark and immoral activities. She realized that it was a place of debauchery, frequented by influential people, where not only food and drinks were provided, but also immoral activities like flesh trade were arranged.
Ankita was being forced to give ‘special service’ to the customers
The SIT investigation revealed that Pulkit Arya had planned to hand over Ankita to VIP guests. Pulkit himself had an evil eye on Ankita and had misbehaved with her multiple times along with forcing her to give ‘special service’ to his customers. Ankita confided in her friend Pushp through WhatsApp chats, which became crucial evidence for the SIT. Frustrated and wanting to leave her job due to these immoral activities, Ankita was tragically murdered by Pulkit and his associates on the night of September 18, 2022. To hide Ankita’s murder, the three accused dumped her body in the Cheela canal in Rishikesh. On September 24, 2022, Ankita’s body was found 13 kilometers from the Cheela Canal Barrage Intake. That same day, a team of experts from AIIMS Rishikesh performed a post-mortem, which confirmed that she had been murdered.
Action in the case in the fast-track court
Taking the matter seriously, the Uttarakhand government ordered a fast-track court hearing. The SIT was formed under the instructions of the ADG Crime and Law and Order, with the investigation led by the DIG. The SIT compiled a list of 100 witnesses to strengthen the case and recorded magistrate statements from many of them. On December 16, the SIT filed a chargesheet against Pulkit, Ankit, and Saurabh under charges of murder, concealment of evidence, molestation, and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Two years later, the case is still being heard in the fast-track court, with testimony from 49 witnesses completed and 51 witnesses yet to testify.
People’s protest and demand for justice
The case sparked widespread violent protests across Uttarakhand, with people taking to the streets to express their anguish and frustration over the delayed justice. Outraged citizens demanded justice and called for strict punishment for the accused. Ankita’s murder raised serious concerns about women’s safety and immoral activities in the state, shaking not only the administration but the entire community.
Congress expressed sorrow over justice has not yet been served
Former Uttarakhand Congress President Ganesh Godiyal, speaking to journalists at the Congress headquarters in Dehradun on Wednesday, paid tribute to Ankita Bhandari on her second death anniversary. He expressed deep sorrow over the fact that justice has not yet been served. Godiyal criticized the Uttarakhand government, describing it as unresponsive, while highlighting the ongoing wait for justice by Ankita Bhandari’s parents and the entire state, even after two years.