Ankita Bhandari murder: Congress renews demand for CBI probe

The Congress on Tuesday, 23 December stepped up its attack on the BJP-led Uttarakhand government, accusing it of shielding those responsible in the high-profile Ankita Bhandari murder case and demanding a court-monitored investigation by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation).

Addressing a press conference at the Indira Bhawan headquarters of the Congress in New Delhi, Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal alleged that crucial aspects of the case had been suppressed to protect politically influential individuals, referring to a recently released video by a woman claiming to be the wife of a former BJP MLA, asserting that the video had brought new facts into the public domain.

Godiyal said the Congress would wait for 10 to 12 days for a decision on its demand for a fresh probe. If no action was taken, he warned, the party would launch large-scale protests across the Garhwal division.

“We demand a CBI inquiry into this case, and this investigation should be supervised by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court,” Godiyal said, alleging that the BJP and the state government had “used all their might” to weaken the case, protect the accused and deny justice to Ankita Bhandari.

The murder of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old woman who worked as a receptionist at a resort in Pauri district, triggered widespread outrage across Uttarakhand and beyond when it came to light in September 2022. Ankita went missing on 18 September that year, and her body was later recovered from a canal.

The case drew particular attention because the prime accused, Pulkit Arya, was the son of a BJP leader and the owner of the resort. The political connections involved fuelled allegations of an attempted cover-up from the outset, with Opposition parties and civil society groups questioning the pace and direction of the investigation.

In response to the public outcry at the time, the Uttarakhand government constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. The trial eventually led to convictions, with a court sentencing Arya and two others to life imprisonment for Ankita’s murder.

Despite the convictions, the Congress has consistently argued that the case has not been fully or transparently investigated, particularly with regard to the role of influential individuals and the circumstances leading up to the killing. On Tuesday, Godiyal reiterated the party’s stand that only an independent agency like the CBI, functioning under judicial supervision, could ensure that the “entire truth” comes out.

The renewed demand also reflects the Congress’s broader political offensive against the BJP in Uttarakhand, where the case remains a sensitive issue, especially in the hill districts. The party has sought to keep the issue alive by linking it to questions of women’s safety, abuse of power and political influence in criminal investigations.

So far, the Uttarakhand government has maintained that the SIT investigation and subsequent convictions demonstrate that justice has been delivered. However, the Congress insists that unanswered questions remain and has indicated that it will escalate agitation on the ground if its demand for a CBI probe is not accepted.

With fresh claims now being cited by the Opposition and the threat of renewed protests, the Ankita Bhandari case appears set to return to the centre of Uttarakhand’s political discourse, more than two years after the crime first shocked the state.

With PTI inputs