Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 11 : Former Cabinet Uttarakhand Minister Premchand Aggarwal, along with MLAs Khajan Das, Kishore Upadhyay, Sahdev Pundir, Asha Nautiyal, Renu Bisht, Brij Bhushan Gairola and Shakti Lal Shah, on Sunday met with Uttarakhand Chief Minister and expressed their gratitude to him for recommending a CBI inquiry in the Ankita Bhandari case.
The former minister Premchand Aggarwal and other MLAs met with CM Dhami at the Chief Minister's Camp Office in Dehradun.
Uttarakhand government has recommended a CBI inquiry into the 2022 Ankita Bhandari case, keeping in mind the sentiments of her parents and the difficulties they have faced after losing their daughter.
Speaking to ANI in Dehradun, CM Dhami said, "I had met the parents of Ankita Bhandari. They lost their daughters and faced many difficulties. Respecting the sentiments of her parents, we have recommended a CBI inquiry into the case."
On Thursday, Chief Minister Dhami met the parents of late Ankita Bhandari and assured them of the state government's full support and commitment to ensuring justice in the case.
According to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Dhami met Ankita Bhandari's father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, and mother, Soni Devi, at the Chief Minister's residence in Dehradun. During the meeting, the bereaved parents shared their views and emotions related to the case with the Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, opposition parties and various organisations have called for the Uttarakhand bandh today, demanding punishment for the culprits in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case.
Congress leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat accused the CM Pushkar Singh Dhami-led State government of allegedly attempting to protect a "VIP" for the past three and a half years, demanding an FIR against "those who have destroyed evidence" in the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
"This is part of an ongoing struggle. Until the government conducts a CBI investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court, under the oversight of a Supreme Court judge, we will continue to demand and continue to fight because investigating this murder and its various aspects is essential," Rawat stated.
The controversy traces back to the murder of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old resort receptionist in Uttarakhand, whose body was recovered from a canal in September 2022.
The case involved allegations that she was being pressured to provide sexual favours to guests at a resort run by Pulkit Arya, the son of a former BJP leader. A trial court subsequently convicted Arya and two others, sentencing them to life imprisonment.