As parents of Ankita Bhandari, who was allegedly murdered at a resort in Uttarakhand in 2022, staged a protest near the India Gate here on Wednesday, the Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government asserted that ensuring the sentencing the guilty to life imprisonment in the case proves that it “worked with utmost seriousness from day one” to ensure punishment for the perpetrators.
The statement came as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, went to meet Bhandari’s family, who are staging a sit-in near the India Gate.
The statement came as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, went to meet Bhandari’s family, who are staging a sit-in near the India Gate. Action was also taken against the accused under the Gangster Act. It noted that a strong case presented by the prosecution led to the repeated rejection of the accused’s bail pleas and ensured that they remained behind bars throughout the trial. Subsequently, Bhandari’s killers were sentenced to life imprisonment. It mentioned that public prosecutors were changed three times in accordance with the family’s requests. Furthermore, after her parents demanded a CBI inquiry, Chief Minister Dhami ordered the same. Additionally, it also provided government jobs to the victim’s brother and father.
An Uttarakhand government statement noted that the accused in the case were sent to jail within 24 hours, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted to conduct a fair and thorough probe. During the investigation, a detailed charge sheet spanning approximately 500 pages was prepared, incorporating crucial evidence and statements from around 100 witnesses. Further, the state government provided financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the family.
Throughout the entire process, the state government accorded the highest priority to the sentiments of Bhandari’s parents and family, the statement said.
