Urmila Sanawar quizzed by police for hours; Dhami meets Ankita's parents, promises them justice

Dehradun: Urmila Sanawar, the actress who caused a political storm in Uttarakhand with fresh allegations in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, was questioned by the police for several hours on Wednesday, while Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met the parents of the deceased receptionist.

In a rapidly unfolding series of events, Sanawar arrived in Dehradun on Tuesday night and appeared before the police on Wednesday.

Sources said that during the several hours of questioning, the police seized several audio recordings from Sanawar's mobile phone, which will be sent for forensic examination.

According to sources, Sanawar, the alleged wife of former MLA Suresh Rathore, is expected to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Haridwar on Thursday, where several cases have been registered against her since she made the allegations.

Sanawar recently released videos on social media and audio recordings of her conversations, purportedly with Rathore, alleging the involvement of a 'VIP' in the Ankita murder case.

In another video, she claimed that the 'VIP' is BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam. Since then, several FIRs have been registered against her and Rathore in Dehradun and Haridwar.

Gautam, the BJP state in-charge, also filed a case against the two in Dehradun for allegedly conspiring against him in collusion with opposition parties.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Ankita's parents and assured them of justice.

Dhami told Ankita's father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, and mother, Soni Devi, that ensuring justice is his government's top priority.

On Tuesday, the chief minister said that a decision on a CBI investigation into the murder would be taken after he had talked to Ankita's parents.

"As the chief servant of the state, I will talk to her (Ankita's) parents. After talking to them and studying all the legal aspects, whatever they want for justice to their daughter, we will take it forward," he had said.

In 2022, Ankita Bhandari, 19, a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Pauri, was murdered by resort owner Pulkit Arya and two of his employees.

All three were sentenced to life imprisonment in this case.

A demand for a CBI probe into the 2022 killing has gathered pace ever since Sanawar claimed the involvement of a 'VIP' in the murder.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal said Ankita's family has 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.

Godiyal said his party demands a CBI inquiry into the killing 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 was razed by a bulldozer, implying a deliberate destruction of evidence.

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

Meanwhile, in a fresh turn of events, another audio surfaced, in which Sanawar is purportedly heard telling Rathore that she was pressured to name Dushyant Gautam.

The BJP said the audio had exposed conspiracies to defame its party leaders.

Mahendra Bhatt, the president of the Uttarakhand unit of the BJP, said the names of those involved in the matter would also be revealed soon.