Govt ready for any probe in Ankita Bhandari case if credible evidence is provided: Uniyal

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun

Cabinet minister Subodh Uniyal has stressed that the State government is ready for any probe if it gets credible evidence to substantiate the claims made in audio recordings shared on social media regarding the Ankita Bhandari murder case. He said that going for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) without credible evidence could even end up benefitting those sentenced in the case. 

Presenting the government’s stand in the case while addressing the media at the Bharatiya Janata Party State office on Friday, the minister said that the government remains committed to fulfilling its constitutional duties. “Regarding the recent audio recordings, the authorities have been requesting the two persons in the conversation to substantiate the conversation with the police. We assure full protection to them and anyone with credible evidence in the case. The audio recordings too have contradictions as once there is mention of suicide and then murder. The suicide angle could actually benefit those convicted in the case,” he said.

Stating that this could be part of a political conspiracy, he reiterated that the government had acted swiftly in the case and ensured that the guilty face justice. “A Special Investigation Team headed by a lady IPS officer was formed to probe the case. The accused were swiftly arrested and the government counsel- chosen with the consent of Bhandari’s parents- advocated strongly enough to prevent bail to the accused from the courts during the trial. On the question of the CBI probe being sought by some, when the Uttarakhand High Court was approached with such a petition, the court had stated that the probe by the SIT was going in the right direction with no favour being shown to any special person. The HC had rejected the plea for a CBI probe and later the Supreme Court had also upheld this decision,” the minister said.

Stressing that the case is sensitive, he reiterated that anyone with credible evidence should come forward, adding that the matter will be probed further even if there is some truth in the claims. Regarding allegations of evidence being destroyed by demolishing a part of the resort where the victim worked, Uniyal stressed that the forensics team had already collected all evidence before the demolition.