FIR filed to identify 'VIPs' in Ankita Bhandari murder case

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Police on Saturday filed an FIR to identify alleged 'VIPs' in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case, officials said. The development came a day after the state government recommended a CBI probe into the matter.

The FIR was lodged at the Vasant Vihar police station in Dehradun on a complaint filed by Padma Bhushan-awarded environmentalist Anil Prakash Joshi to the director general of police.

Joshi, in the complaint, has stated that the criminals involved in Ankita's murder have been convicted, but allegations are being made that evidence has been concealed or destroyed.

An investigation into the crime involving an unidentified person, described as a "VIP," is necessary to ensure complete justice, he added.

Based on the complaint, the police registered an FIR under sections 238, 249 and 45 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Harish Rawat said that the FIR should have been filed by Ankita's parents.

"The person named in the FIR is a highly respected person, but it would have been better if the FIR had been filed on behalf of Ankita's parents," he said in a social media post, adding that the state government should summon Ankita's father, Virendra Singh, and with the help of social workers, prepare the complaint according to the FIR he desires.

Opposition parties, however, are adamant that the CBI investigation be conducted under the supervision of a sitting Supreme Court or High Court judge.

Various political and social organisations have called for a "Uttarakhand Bandh" on Sunday to press for this demand.

State Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said the party will support the statewide bandh.

Garhwal Inspector General of Police Rajiv Swaroop said the police have made extensive preparations to maintain security and law and order in view of the bandh.

Swaroop also appealed to all parties to refrain from sharing any inflammatory posts on social media during this period.