Opposition Protests in Uttarakhand, Demands CBI Probe in Ankita Bhandari Murder Case After Police Rule Out ‘VIP’ Link

Dehradun (RNI) Opposition parties in Uttarakhand staged a significant protest on Sunday, reiterating their demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case, a day after the state police maintained that no “VIP” was involved in the crime.

Hundreds of workers from the Congress, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), Mahila Manch, Left parties, and several social organisations gathered at the Parade Ground in Dehradun before marching towards the residence of the Chief Minister. Demonstrators held up placards bearing slogans such as “Give justice to Ankita”, “No more delays, surround the Chief Minister”, and “Who is the real culprit, who is silent in Delhi”, while voicing strong anti-government sentiments.

The protest was led by Indresh Maikhuri, State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), who urged people to join the march and criticised the statement made by Haridwar SP (Rural) Shekhar Suyal, one of the officers investigating the case. In his remarks earlier this week, SP Suyal had asserted that there was no involvement of any VIP in the murder, a claim that opposition leaders said they could not accept.

Mr. Maikhuri highlighted that in its May 2025 judgment, the Additional District and Sessions Court of Kotdwar had sentenced Pulkit Arya, owner of the Vanantra Resort in Pauri district, along with his two employees — Ankit Gupta and Saurabh Bhaskar — to life imprisonment for the murder of Ankita Bhandari. The court had stated that the motive for the crime was the victim’s refusal to provide “special services” to a purported VIP.

“Now, if the police are denying the involvement of a VIP, it appears that they are negating the very motive of the crime,” Mr. Maikhuri said. “The names that are surfacing in this case are not being pursued; instead, this approach seems to be clearing the way for the release of those already convicted.” He emphasised that their demand was for the case to be handed over to the CBI under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge to ensure that the identity of the VIP is revealed.

Ankita Bhandari, 19, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Yamkeshwar, Pauri district, was brutally murdered on September 18, 2022. The case provoked widespread outrage among local residents and across the state. In response, the Uttarakhand government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter.

The protest on Sunday reflected growing public frustration with the handling of the investigation, with opposition parties maintaining that a deeper and transparent inquiry is essential for justice to prevail in the high-profile case.