Monday, 10 July 2023 | PNS | PAURI
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is expected to take a decision soon on the request of Ankita Bhandari’s father to change the special prosecution officer in her murder case. Virendra Bhandari, the father of the young lady whose murder had elicited outrage across the State and national focus, submitted a memorandum to the Pauri district magistrate recently on July 6. In the memorandum, Bhandari has demanded that the special prosecution officer Jitendra Rawat should be removed from the case before the coming date of hearing in his daughter’s murder case.
As per the information from the officials, the district administration has sent the memorandum to the State government after conducting an inquiry in this matter. The chief minister will take a decision in the matter soon.
It is pertinent to mention here that the family of Ankita Bhandari has alleged that the special prosecution officer Jitendra Rawat is not doing justice with his responsibility in the case and is trying to save those accused in the murder. The father and mother of the victim had also met the district magistrate on more than one occasion before submitting the memorandum to remove the special prosecution officer from the case. Congress leader Manish Khanduri had also staged a dharna in Pauri demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari who was murdered allegedly by the owner and two other employees of the resort where she was working. The Congress has demanded a CBI probe under a sitting High Court judge in the case.
It will be recalled that resort owner Pulkit Arya, the son of an expelled BJP leader and two others are accused of murdering Ankita Bhandari. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal in September last year.
