BY PC Bureau
, May 30, 2025 — A Kotdwar court in Uttarakhand has convicted three men—Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta—in the brutal 2022 murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, a case that ignited nationwide outrage over women’s safety and allegations of political interference. The Additional District and Sessions Judge Court, presided over by Judge Reena Negi, found the trio guilty of murder, destruction of evidence, and charges under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, following a trial that spanned two years and eight months. The quantum of sentencing is yet to be announced, with the court expected to deliver it soon, as the victim’s family and activists demand the death penalty.
Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old from Dobh-Srikot in Pauri Garhwal, was employed as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Ganga-Bhogpur, near Rishikesh, owned by Pulkit Arya, the son of Vinod Arya, a former BJP leader and Minister of State under the Trivendra Singh Rawat government. Ankita joined the resort on August 28, 2022, seeking to support her family after her father lost his job. Less than a month later, on September 18, 2022, she went missing. Her body was recovered six days later on September 24 from the Chilla canal, showing signs of blunt force trauma, with drowning confirmed as the cause of death.
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The prosecution alleged that Pulkit Arya, along with resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta, murdered Ankita after she refused to provide “special services” (implied sexual favors) to a VIP guest at the resort. WhatsApp chats revealed Ankita’s distress, including a message to a friend stating, “They are forcing me to provide extra service to hotel guests, feeling insecure… the owner once tried to kiss me forcefully.” Her father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, alleged she was coerced into prostitution, a claim supported by her mother, Soni Devi, who demanded accountability for a “senior RSS functionary” allegedly involved.
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The case drew massive attention due to Pulkit Arya’s political connections—his father was expelled from the BJP, and his brother Ankit Arya was removed as Vice President of the Uttarakhand OBC Commission following public outcry. Allegations of a cover-up intensified when parts of the resort, including Ankita’s room, were demolished on September 23, 2022, on orders from then-Sub-Divisional Magistrate Pramod Kumar and BJP MLA Renu Bisht, purportedly to address illegal construction. Critics, including Ankita’s family and the Congress party, argued this destroyed critical evidence, with a JCB driver confirming he was instructed to raze the resort’s gate, boundary wall, and two rooms.
The court’s verdict has come out in the nearly 3-year-old Ankita Bhandari murder case in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand. The court has declared all three accused guilty. Ankita Bhandari’s body was recovered from the canal. pic.twitter.com/0mHa0Exg4K
— Siddhant Anand (@JournoSiddhant) May 30, 2025
Investigation and Trial
The case, initially handled by the revenue police (patwari system), was criticized for delays, as patwari Vaibhav Pratap Singh failed to register a First Information Report (FIR) despite Virendra Bhandari’s efforts across three police stations. The investigation was transferred to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Deputy Inspector General P. Renuka Devi, prompted by violent protests, including vandalism of the resort and attacks on the accused during their court transfer. The SIT filed a 500-page chargesheet in December 2022, citing 100 witnesses and over 30 pieces of evidence, charging Pulkit Arya under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 354 (molestation), and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), along with the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. Bhaskar and Gupta faced charges under Sections 302 and 201.
The trial, which began in March 2023, faced hurdles, including the accused’s resistance to narco-analysis and polygraph tests, though an application for these was submitted. The prosecution presented 47 witnesses, including a resort staffer who testified to Ankita’s sexual assault on September 18, 2022, and her distress in the hours before her murder. Forensic evidence placed the accused at the crime scene, and Ankita’s WhatsApp chats corroborated her coercion claims. The Uttarakhand High Court rejected bail pleas for all three, with Justice Ravindra Maithani noting the “premeditated” nature of the crime in December 2023.
Political Influence and Public Outcry
The case exposed deep concerns about political influence and women’s safety in Uttarakhand. The BJP’s swift expulsion of Vinod Arya and the formation of the SIT under CM Pushkar Singh Dhami’s orders were seen as damage control amid protests. However, allegations persisted that the state government shielded influential figures, with Ankita’s mother naming RSS leader Ajay Kumar as a potential “VIP” involved, though no evidence in the chargesheet confirmed this. The demolition of the resort, linked to BJP MLA Renu Bisht, fueled accusations of evidence tampering, with Congress leader Karan Mahara and former state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal accusing the Dhami government of obstructing justice.
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The case became a flashpoint in Uttarakhand’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with Congress leveraging it to highlight the BJP’s alleged failures on women’s safety. Protests by locals and women’s rights groups, including a dharna by Ankita’s parents in Srinagar, underscored public anger. The arrest of journalist Ashutosh Negi, who advocated for justice in the case, under the SC/ST Act in March 2024, further intensified criticism of the BJP for allegedly suppressing dissent.
Ankita’s murder highlighted the vulnerability of young women in Uttarakhand’s hospitality sector, particularly in rapidly urbanizing areas. Women’s rights activist Kamala Pant noted that the case deterred parents from sending daughters to work or study away from home, reflecting broader fears about safety. The Congress and the “Justice for Ankita” Committee have campaigned across villages, amplifying demands for a CBI probe, which the Uttarakhand High Court rejected in December 2022, though the Supreme Court sought a status report in March 2023.
