DEHRADUN: Amid roadblocks and widespread protests, Ankita Bhandari’s last rites were performed by her family on Sunday evening in Uttarakhand’s Srinagar. The Rishikesh-Badrinath national highway remained blocked for about 10 hours as hundreds of people demanded that the autopsy report be made public.
Ankita, 19, who worked as a receptionist at Vantara Resort near Rishikesh, was allegedly killed by Pulkit Arya, the son of now-expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya. Pulkit and his associates have been arrested in connection with the murder.
Ankita’s last rites were to be performed at 8 am on Sunday. However, a large crowd gathered and protested, seeking a government job for one member of her family, Rs 1 crore compensation and a written assurance on capital punishment for the culprits.
Garhwal District Magistrate Dr Vijay Kumar Jogdande’s tried to pacify the agitating crowd. Finally, the cremation took place at 6 pm after officials convinced Ankita’s father Virendra Singh Bhandari. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami assured justice in the case.
Meanwhile, shops in Shrinagar remained shut in protest against the murder. A preliminary report of an autopsy conducted at AIIMS, Rishikesh, said Ankita died of drowning but there were antemortem injuries (injuries before death) on her body.
The area has been witnessing widespread wrath after the incident came to light on Friday. Locals broke the glass panes of the resort, even as the administration began demolishing the structure. However, the administration’s move has come under sharp attack, with many people alleging it would have destroyed crucial evidence at the crime scene.