DEHRADUN : With anger spilling on the streets and drawing widespread criticism after a woman staffer was found dead at a resort owned by sons of a former BJP minister in Uttarakhand, the party on Saturday expelled Vinod Arya. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami also ordered demolition of Vantara Resort owned by one of his sons, Pulkit Arya, early Saturday.
Pulkit and two of his aides were on Friday arrested in connection with the murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist in the resort near Rishikesh. Pulkit, resort manager Ankit Gupta and Saurabh Bhaskar were sent to 14-day judicial custody.
Vinod Arya had formerly served as chairperson of the Uttarakhand Mati Board with a state minister’s rank. His other son Ankit, who was also in the BJP, was removed as vice president of Uttarakhand OBC Commission. The police on Saturday morning recovered Ankita’s body from the Chilla barrage and sent it for post-mortem.
“After several hours of search operation in the barrage, we pulled out the body of a woman, which was identified by her brother and father,” Additional Superintendent of Police Shekhar Suyal said.The incident sparked widespread criticism against the ruling BJP in the state. Violent protests erupted in areas surrounding the resort with locals breaking glass panes and some trying to torch a pickle factory in its premises as details emerged of Ankita’s trauma in the days preceding her death.
Ankita went missing on September 18. After interrogation and examination of CCTV footages in the resort, Pulkit, resort manager Ankit alias Pulkit Gupta, and Saurabh Bhaskar were arrested. They later confessed to the crime, police had said on Friday.
The resort-cum-spa was allegedly being used for running illegal activities. Ankita, who started working there a month ago, had altercations with Pulkit over the alleged illegal activities. During one such heated exchange between them, the accused pushed her and she fell into the canal and died, according to police.
Congress spokesperson Garima Dasauni demanded a CBI probe into the case on the lines of BJP leader Sonali Phogat’s murder. “The accused have been booked under lighter sections of the IPC, stating they were under the influence of alcohol, to save the face of the BJP,” she told this newspaper. The Congress leader termed the government’s move to order an SIT probe into the case as a “cover-up” and accused cops of destroying evidence.