Ankita Bhandari murder case: Locals set accused Pulkit Arya's resort ablaze in Rishikesh
Rishikesh/Pauri (Uttarakhand), September 24: Rishikesh's Vanatara resort which is owned by expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya's son Pulkit Arya, an accused in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, was set on fire by angry locals on Saturday.
Anger over the horrific act erupted on the streets of other parts of Uttarakhand, and locals swarmed the Pauri bus station. Protesters also gheraoed the Pauri District Magistrate's office. Locals in Rishikesh also protested and vandalised BJP MLA Renu Bisht's car. The MLA had to be led to safety by police.
Notably, the police arrested three accused, including Pulkit, in the murder case.
Earlier in the day, the body of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari who was reported missing a few days ago was also recovered from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to be formed to probe the case.
"The body of daughter Ankita was recovered this morning. My heart is deeply pained by this heartbreaking incident," Dhami tweeted on Saturday. "In order to ensure the harshest punishment for the culprits, an SIT has been formed under the leadership of Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Renuka Devi ji and ordered an in-depth investigation of this serious matter," Dhami wrote.
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The development comes after three persons, including Pulkit Arya, the son of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Vinod Arya, were arrested on Friday after they confessed to having pushed Ankita into the canal after an altercation.
Additional Superintendent of Police Shekhar Suyal said today "The deceased's brother and father were here and they identified the body. The body found at the barrage is of Ankita Bhandari."
"The search operation was going on from 7 am, we took out the body of a woman, her relatives came here and identified it to be the body of Ankita Bhandari. The body has been taken to AIIMS in Rishikesh," said a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) official.
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-PTC News
