Uttarakhand resort: Kin of murdered receptionist refuse to cremate body

The family of the 19-year-old woman receptionist who was allegedly murdered by the son of a BJP leader, on Sunday (September 25) refused to perform her funeral rites until they receive her final post-mortem report.

“We won’t conduct her last rites until her post-mortem report is given. We saw in her provisional report that she was beaten up and thrown in a river. But we’re awaiting the final report,” Ajay Singh Bhandari, the brother of the Ankita Bhandari told the media.

The have also alleged that the demolition of Vanantra Resort where the woman worked was done to destroy evidence.

On Saturday, Ankita’s body was fished out of a canal in Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh. She was allegedly murdered by Pulkit Arya, son of now expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, in whose resort she was working as a receptionist after she refused to yield to his demands to have sex with guests.

Also read: Ankita Bhandari murder: Angry crowd burns resort, BJP MLA’s car attacked

Three people including Pukit have been arrested while Vinod Arya has been expelled by the BJP.

Soon after the news of the woman’s death broke out, an angry mob set fire to the resort she was working in.

The Opposition has alleged that the arson and demolition was carried out on the order of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to destroy evidence of the “planned murder.”

A provisional report of post-mortem conducted by a team of AIIMS said that the woman died due to drowning and her body bore blunt injuries.

The family of the woman, however, have demanded the post-mortem to be redone.

The Opposition has also accused the police of being lax in probing the case due to the links of the accused with the ruling party.