Ankita Bhandari (19) worked in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district in a resort named Vanantara. 6 days after her parents reported her missing, she was found on the Cheela canal – near Rishikesh on Saturday. She was allegedly killed by two other employees along with the resort owner named Pulkit Arya who is a former BJP leader and state minister Vinod Arya’s son. This happened when Ankita denied their attempts to provide ‘special services’ to the customers.
Last Friday, Pulkit Arya, Ankit, and Saurabh were arrested and charged with murder. Meanwhile, more allegations have surfaced that say abuse and prostitution were regular services in the resort.
It was suggested in the post-mortem report of Ankita Bhandari that the reason for her death was suffocation and drowning in water. A panel of four doctors from AIIMS Rishikesh did the post-mortem of her body. A Special Investigative Team (SIT)has been set up to probe the incident.
On September 25, the last rites of Ankita Bhandari were performed at NIT Ghat in Srinagar at Pauri Garwhal. The resort where Ankita worked was put on fire by angry locals.
A compensation of Rs.25 lakhs has been announced for Ankita Bhandari’s family by Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. The CM’s office tweeted on Monday saying, “Our government has requested the honorable court to set up a fast-track court for speedy justice in the case so that the guilty are punished as soon as possible.”
