Kotdwar Court sentences life imprisonment to the three accused in Ankita Bhandari’s murder case

New Delhi (India) May 31: Three men were given life sentences by a sessions court in Kotdwar, Uttarakhand. One of them is Pulkit Arya who is the son of expelled Bhartiya Janata Party leader Vinod Arya. He was found guilty of killing 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who had been a receptionist at the accused's hotel.

Arya and his two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were found guilty by the Additional District and Sessions Judge of murder, evidence suppression, molestation, outraging a woman's modesty, and immoral trafficking. These three were given life sentences by the court with a total fine of ₹4 lakh which will be paid to the victim’s parents.

The three were given life sentences under the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, IPC sections 302 (murder), and 201 (destruction of evidence).Arya was also found guilty of sexual harassment under IPC section 354 A.

According to investigations, the accused and two employees killed her by throwing her into a canal after she refused to provide “extra services” to a “VIP guest” at the Pauri Garhwal hotel.

Ankita began working after completing her 12th grade education in order to help her father Virendra Bhandari who is a security guard. She received ₹10,000 per month for her work. The hotel staff informed her father the next day after she disappeared on September 18, 2022.

Ankita’s father was disappointed after the court decided not to give the death penalty to the accused and regarded the case as one of the "rarest of the rarest".

He also claimed that the State government had not kept its promise to name a nursing school after Ankita and give her brother a government post.

The Uttarakhand government appointed a special investigation team (SIT) to look into the murder after it caused protests and outrage throughout the state. The 500-page charge sheet was filed by the SIT in the case.

Aadrika Tayal