Dhami govt left with no choice but order CBI probe into Ankita Bhandari murder: Congress

Dehradun, Jan 7 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday said that the Uttarakhand government is left with no option but hand over the Ankita Bhandari murder case investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

It also alleged that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was shifting the responsibility onto the victim's family to save his government's reputation.

The party's accusation came a day after Dhami said the decision on a probe into the receptionist's murder would be taken according to the wishes of Ankita's parents.

Addressing a press conference, Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said Ankita's family has repeatedly been demanding a CBI investigation since her murder in 2002.

"Over the last three and a half years, Ankita's parents have said dozens of times, and even gone to court, that the case should be investigated by the CBI… Is the Chief Minister not aware of this?" the Congress leader said.

The CBI probe demand has gathered pace ever since Urmila Sanawar, the alleged wife of expelled BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, claimed the involvement of a 'VIP' in the murder case, allegedly a BJP politician.

Godiyal said his party demands a CBI inquiry under the supervision of a high court or Supreme Court judge, who can work without any pressure.

He also asked Dhami under whose orders the Vanantra Resort, where Ankita worked as a receptionist, was razed by a bulldozer after her killing, implying a deliberate destruction of evidence.

The property was razed the night after Ankita's body was recovered from a canal in Rishikesh.

Godiyal also asked whether the Special Investigation team assigned to probe the murder recorded the statements of the people who demolished Ankita's room at the resort.

More than 90 people became witnesses in the SIT investigation, but the key people who demolished the resort were excluded from testifying in court, he claimed. PTI DPT VN VN