On Friday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked for the CBI to look into Ankita Bhandari’s murder; he said the state government values what her parents want, and won’t ignore any fact or any piece of evidence. This came after more and more people demanded it, and new claims went around on social media about a possible ‘important’ person being linked to the 2022 murder.
Nineteen-year-old Ankita Bhandari was a receptionist at a resort in Pauri. She was murdered in September 2022. A lower court found the resort owner and two of the people who worked there guilty and gave them life sentences, after a trial. The state had previously created a Special Investigation Team – SIT – and carried out a prosecution, which led to the guilty verdicts.
Ankita’s mother and father, Virendra Singh Bhandari and Soni Devi, met the Chief Minister not long ago, and gave him a letter asking for a CBI investigation that a judge from the Supreme Court would oversee. In that letter, Ankita’s father said his daughter had been killed because of an ‘important’ person; who that person is, is still not agreed on. Showing they respect the family’s feelings, the government has officially asked the central agency to investigate.
Why the CBI request is important
A CBI investigation would move the inquiry from the state to a central agency which has wider power and more resources. For the family and the groups protesting, this action shows an attempt to get back public trust and deal with claims that local investigations may have missed important clues. For the government, asking for the CBI is to show it is open and determined to give fair justice.
Dhami stressed that the state moved quickly after the crime, making a SIT with a female IPS officer in charge, and making sure the accused were not given bail during the trial, and that the prosecution was effective. He said Ankita was ‘not only a victim, but also our sister and daughter’ and the government would go on seeking justice with care and strength.
What brought on more demands for a CBI investigation
The need for a central investigation became stronger after someone calling herself Urmila Sanawar put videos and audio recordings on social media. She claimed someone ‘important’ was involved, and in a different clip, named a politician. These claims caused many FIRs – First Information Reports – and counter-complaints in different areas, and made public protests louder, asking for an impartial inquiry.
Political parties who are against the government, and groups in society, held marches and rallies, asking the state to give the case to the CBI so the supposed ‘important’ person connection could be looked at without bias. The protests also show more general worry about people being held to account in crimes where workers who are vulnerable are involved, and the effect powerful people have in small towns.
Legal and political results
A CBI investigation could start parts of the inquiry again, including areas of investigation relating to the alleged ‘important’ person and any proof that was not looked at before. If the central agency finds reasons to prosecute further, it may lead to new charges or more legal steps. The request also has political meaning: it’s to calm criticism by showing the state will not protect anyone, whatever their position.
The decision needs official approval from the central government, to allow the CBI to take on the case. If this is accepted, the CBI will start its own case, often looking at the SIT files, what witnesses said, and any digital proof that is now at the centre of public attention.
*What to look out for next
Look for an official answer from the central government on whether it accepts the Uttarakhand request. Also, watch for any official orders which show what the CBI inquiry will cover, and if it will be under the watch of a Supreme Court judge, as the family asked.
At the same time, the FIRs that are still going on, relating to the audio clips from social media, are being investigated at district level. For many people in the state, the CBI request is a key step towards answering questions that are still there, and making sure that justice for Ankita is both complete and is seen to be fair.
