New Delhi: Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old from Dobh-Srikot village in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district, had only recently begun working as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Yamkeshwar in August 2022. Less than a month into her new role, she was dead.
According to police findings, on the night of September 18, 2022, a confrontation took place between Ankita and her employer Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, along with resort staff members Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta. Following the altercation, Ankita was allegedly forced into a vehicle and pushed into the Cheela canal, a man-made waterway known for its swift and dangerous currents.
Pulkit Arya, who later filed a missing person complaint himself, returned to the resort with his aides after the incident. The resort, located around 10 km from Rishikesh, falls in an area outside regular police jurisdiction. The initial response was managed by a revenue officer, or “patwari”, whose authority to investigate criminal cases is limited.
The delay in transferring the case to the regular police allowed crucial time to pass. “The area where this resort is located doesn’t fall under regular police,” said Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar. “We have a system of patwari registering FIRs in such areas. He did register a ‘missing person’ FIR, filed by the resort owner himself.”
Ankita’s disappearance first came to light when her friend Pushp received a call from her on the night of September 18. He later told police she had been pressured by the resort’s management to provide “special services” to guests, a claim that added a possible motive to her killing. After 8:30 pm that night, Ankita’s phone became unreachable. Pushp contacted Arya, who claimed she had gone to her room. By the next morning, Arya’s phone was also switched off. Staff at the resort offered conflicting responses — one said Ankita was in the gym, another claimed not to have seen her.
When Ankita’s family approached the police again, the case was transferred to the regular force. On September 24, her body was recovered from the Cheela canal. A post-mortem conducted at AIIMS Rishikesh confirmed drowning as the cause of death and noted injuries indicating assault. Tests for sexual assault returned negative.
Public anger erupted following these developments. Locals attacked a police vehicle transporting the accused, and in Bhogpur, villagers vandalised Vanantra Resort. That night, the resort was bulldozed by authorities, citing illegal construction.
Vinod Arya, then a senior BJP leader, was expelled from the party but defended his son, saying, “Seedha sadha balak hai. He is only concerned about his work. I want justice for both my son Pulkit and Ankita Bhandari.” His remarks drew sharp criticism. He was later accused in a separate case by his former driver, alleging physical assault and attempted sodomy. agencies
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that the trial would be conducted in a fast-track court. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by IPS officer Renuka Devi was formed, and the government offered Rs 25 lakh in compensation to Ankita’s family.
In the aftermath, Ankita’s mother alleged she was misled and prevented from attending her daughter’s cremation. “They tricked me into coming here,” she said in a video. “They told me I would see my daughter, but instead they brought me to the hospital.”
Investigators later obtained two audio recordings of conversations between Arya and Pushp. In one, Arya claimed Ankita had borrowed his phone because hers was out of battery. In another, he attempted to mislead Pushp about her whereabouts. Police suspected that Arya intended for Ankita’s body never to be recovered, and that he may have hoped to direct suspicion toward Pushp. Her phone was never found.