CM Dhami said that no one would be spared if evidence was found against them.
Amid fresh allegations of a ‘VIP’s involvement in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched to hinder his government’s work and asserted that no one would be shielded.
In his first reaction after the fresh allegations surfaced, CM Dhami said, “When the paper leak protests began, they were also sparked by an audio clip. This time, another audio clip has led to the current situation. Doesn’t this look like a conspiracy to you?”
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Dhami said that no one would be spared if evidence was found against them.
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The fresh allegations stem from a purported audio clip released by former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore’s wife in December last year.
In a video statement posted on social media, Urmila Sanawar alleged that the VIP in the Ankita Bhandari case was a senior BJP leader. She also played an audio clip, which she claimed was a conversation with her husband.
In the clip, the VIP was identified as a BJP leader named Gattu. It was later speculated that the reference was to BJP national general secretary Dushyant Gautam.
Gautam has denied the allegations and has filed a defamation case against 11 people, including Sanawar and Congress leader Ganesh Godiyal.
CM Dhami said that the audio clip should first be examined and, if verified, his government was ready to carry out further investigations.
“Now an audio has surfaced in which the names of several people have been mentioned. We have said that the audio should be examined, and an SIT has been constituted. The police are trying to speak to the people mentioned in the audio. It will be good if the audio is verified. Once it is verified, we are ready to conduct all kinds of investigations,” he said.
Former SIT member says ‘VIP’ was identified in Ankita Bhandari murder case, but no evidence found
The Chief Minister further added that his government’s track record showed that “if someone does something wrong and is found guilty, they will not be spared at any cost—whoever they might be. But the audio has to be verified.”
Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist working at a Rishikesh resort owned by Pulkit Arya, the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, was allegedly killed after she refused to render sexual favours to a VIP.
Arya and two other accused were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
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