Party accuses Uttarakhand BJP govt of cover-up in 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder, says ‘Beti Bachao’ slogan exposed as hollow.
19-year-old hotel receptionist killed after resisting sexual advances, body found in canal, CBI charges minister’s son and staff with murder, rape, conspiracy.
Trial ongoing in special POCSO court.
The Congress party launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led Uttarakhand government, accusing it of rendering its flagship ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ slogan meaningless in light of fresh revelations in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case. Senior Congress leaders, including Uttarakhand Congress chief Karan Mahara and AICC spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, alleged that the state administration had shielded powerful figures and delayed justice for the 19-year-old hotel receptionist who was killed after resisting sexual advances.
Speaking at a press conference in Dehradun, Mahara claimed new witness statements and forensic evidence emerging during the trial pointed to a “high-level cover-up” involving then Tourism Minister Satpal Mahara (no relation), his son Pulkit Mahara, and other influential locals. “Ankita was murdered because she dared to say no to the son of a powerful minister. The BJP talks about saving daughters, but when a daughter is killed in their own state, they protect the culprits, transfer honest officers, and delay the trial for three years,” Mahara said.
The case dates back to September 18, 2022, when Ankita Bhandari, who worked at a resort in Rishikesh owned by Pulkit Mahara, went missing. Her decomposed body was recovered from the Chilla Canal 10 days later. The CBI, which took over the investigation in 2023, has charged Pulkit Mahara, resort manager Ankit Gupta, and staff Saurabh Bhaskar with murder, rape, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence. The trial is currently underway in a special POCSO court in Dehradun.
