UTTARAKHAND MAHILA MANCH RELEASES ITS FACT FINDING REPORT OF ANKITA BHANDARI CASE AT PRESS CLUB

The prominent women representatives of Uttarakhand Mahila Manch comprising of eminent advocates, social activists, university students, human rights activists and women activists relentlessly fighting for women causes had on Tuesday, 7 th February released its concrete fact finding report on 19 year old innocent girl Ankita Bhandari’s brutal murder and addressed a press conference at press Club of India demanding among other things, CBI probe in the case, expressing their doubts on the integrity and competence of SIT including levelling charges of negligence in the ongoing investigations.

They have also announced about their decision to approach the apex court for justice to the traumatised n aggrieved family of late Anita Bhandari, in the near future.

While, complaining about the evasive and irresponsible replies of the Uttarakhand Women Commission chief on the tragic murder of an innocent girl working as receptionist in Vanantara resort within 20 days of her joining, the report also highlights several discrepancies in the ongoing investigations.

Addressing the press conference, the women activists and members of the fact finding team under the banner of Uttarakhand Mahila Manch which also actively participated in separate Uttarakhand movement including going to jails also charged the state government for not implementing the Vishakha guidelines in resorts n hotel industry of Uttarakhand despite the strict directives of the Supreme Court.

Levelling serious charges of deliberately exercising negligence in the ongoing probe of SIT and allegedly trying to protect the culprits by illegally destroying the evidences on the crime scene ( Vanantara Resort) by a sitting MLA – the fact finding team report felt the dire need for an immediate impartial CBI probe in this brutal murder of Ankita BHANDARI case that has outraged the people of entire Uttarakhand and also at the pan India, level.

The representatives of the fact finding team comprising of thirty women members during their three days visit to the crime scene, Vanantara Resort, Chilla Barrage, Rishikesh, Pauri and Dehradun in October met the DGP, Uttarakhand Police, the chief secretary, Secretary Uttarakhand Tourism, Deputy Director of Horticulture, the SIT DIG probing the case Ms. Renuka Devi, IPS and the chairperson of Uttarakhand Commission of Women Kusum Kandwal allegedly acknowledging evasive replies from them during their interactions.

The 90 page large sized book of the fact finding report highlights various shortcomings in the case and the ongoing probe including the apathetic and evasive replies acknowledged by them.

They also presented memorandums to several officers in this regard urging the officers concerned and those involved in investigations to accord due justice to the traumatised family including forthwith implementation of Vishaka guidelines to provide security to the women employees in the tourism industry of Uttarakhand saying that had these guidelines been imposed this tragedy would not have occurred.

The father of late Ankita Bhandari and her mother couldn’t join the press conference as they have to attend the court hearings and the deceased’s father having been operated for harnia ailment recently.

Those who addressed the press conference were : eminent advocate and activist Vrinda Grover, women activists Jagmati Sangwan, Kavita Shrivastava, Kavita Krishnan, Maimuna Mulla, Uma Bhatt and Mallika Virdhi.
The event was moderated by Mallika Virdhi.

Prominent among those present in this seminar cum PC were Dr. Shekhar Pathak, Padma Shree and eminent writer, senior journalists Rajiv Lochan Shah of Nainital Samachar, Press Club of India chief and sr journalist Umakant Lakhera, senior journalist Vyomesh Jugran, senior journalist n activist Charu Tiwari , Rajendra Prasad, Vice President UK Congress Dhirendra Pratap, women activist Prema Dhoni and others.

Kindly recall that a 19 year old innocent girl of Shrikot village, near Srinagar, Pauri Garhwal who had joined as a receptionist in a resort for merely 10000 rupees due to her poor family background was brutally killed on 18 September after she flatly refused the pressurised offer of the owner of Vanantara resort at Yamkeshwar namely Pulkit Arya son of a former state minister in BJP govt with his two employees at Chilla Barrage in Rishikesh. Her dead body with multiple wounds was recovered from the canal after five days. The father of the deceased could after immense efforts of 72 hours got the FIR registered as the revenue police, Patwari was hand in glove with the resort owners having gone on leave instead of investigating the case and arresting the culprits. Two patwaries were suspended by the DGP Uttarakhand Ashok Kumar later on for for dereliction of duties and allegedly siding with the culprits .