BREAKING: Journalist, Advocate, Social Activist and leader of UKD ( Democratic) Ashutosh Negi Summoned By CBI To Delhi On 27th October In Ankita Bhandari Case
SUNIL NEGI
Dehradun / New Delhi, Oct 24:
In a major development in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned journalist and social activist Ashutosh Negi to its office in Delhi on 27th October, 2026
Negi, who operates a news portal from Pauri, was the first person to file a petition in the Uttarakhand High Court seeking a CBI inquiry into the case. The petition filed on December 21, 2022 was later joined by Ankita’s parents. The High Court had then dismissed the petition, but after sustained protests and on CM Pushkar Singh Dhami’s directive, the state government finally handed over the VIP angle probe to CBI in February 2026.
CBI’s Special Crime Branch has registered a case against an “unknown VIP” and is now investigating the alleged VIP link.
Negi has been continuously raising the question of the VIP who was allegedly at Vanantra Resort in Ganga-Bhogpur on the night of 18 September 2022, when 19-year-old receptionist Ankita Bhandari was murdered by resort owner Pulkit Arya and two employees.
Negi was earlier arrested twice by Pauri police – first under SC/ST Act and later for “attempting to sow distrust towards government and police” and making “provocative statements” in the Ankita case. Uttarakhand Congress had then linked his arrest to his efforts to bring justice to Ankita.
The Uttarakhand government in its statement on Oct 14-15 had accused _”certain Congress leaders and journalist Ashutosh Negi of attempting to spread confusion among the public by repeatedly raising questions about a so-called VIP”_ and said concrete evidence should be presented before agencies.
Sources said CBI has summoned Negi as a key witness/complainant to record his statement and to submit any evidence, tapes, documents and names he claims to have regarding the VIP.
Negi has claimed in past that he has audio, video and documentary evidence to prove the presence of influential persons behind the murder and the subsequent demolition of Vanantra Resort to destroy evidence. He had also alleged harassment of his family – transfer of his teacher wife to Pithoragarh.
He is expected to appear before the CBI’s Delhi headquarters at 11 AM on 27th October with all evidences.
The summon comes just days after actress Urmila Sanawar and Suresh Rathore gave consent for narco tests in CBI Court, and after Ankita’s parents staged a protest at India Gate in Delhi which was visited by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
CBI has also questioned several other persons in last one week in Delhi and Dehradun.
More details awaited.
