Ankita Bhandari murder case: Court give life imprisonment to three accused

Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Yamkeshwar, Pauri, was murdered by resort owner Pulkit Arya and two employees, triggering widespread outrage and calls for justice

A court of Additional District Judge (ADJ) in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district on Friday sentenced three accused to life imprisonment in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case.

 

Ankita Bhandari (19) worked at Vanantra Resort, in Yamkeshwar of Pauri district, as a receptionist. She was murdered by the resort owner, Pulkit Arya (the son of now expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya), and two of his employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, on September 18, 2022, news agency PTI reported.

 

The three were convicted under multiple sections, including Section 302 (murder), Section 201 (destruction of evidence), Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), Section 354A (sexual harassment), and provisions of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act.

 

Reports suggest that Ankita was pushed into the barrage by the resort owner and his two employees. Bhandari was reported missing for at least six days before her body was recovered on September 24 from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh. 

 

The incident triggered protests by locals seeking justice for the 19-year-old victim. Following the intensified protests, the Uttarakhand government formed a special investigation team to probe the murder. Parts of the resort where Ankita worked were also demolished in an order passed by the authorities, alleging some structures were constructed illegally.

 

Investigation revealed that Bhandari and Arya, the main accused, had a dispute over something, following which the three accused pushed her into a barrage.

 

Speaking to ANI, the victim’s mother urged the people of Uttarakhand to support their family in seeking capital punishment for those accused in the case. She said, “May the criminals be sentenced to death...I appeal to the public of Uttarakhand to keep on supporting us and come to the Kotdwar court to boost our morale.”

 

The hearing of the case began in January 2023 in the ADJ court in Kotdwar. The prosecution filed a 500-page chargesheet in the court. In a trial that lasted nearly two years, the court examined 47 witnesses out of the 97 witnesses listed.

 

(With agency inputs)