"Ready to have all kinds of investigations once audio is verified": Uttarakhand CM Dhami on Ankita Bhandari case

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 6 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday addressed the recent controversy surrounding a purported audio clip linked to the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case, asserting that the matter is being handled with utmost seriousness and no guilty person would be spared, while stressing that the viral audio clip linked to the case must first be verified.
The Chief Minister added that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted, and investigations will begin once the authorities verify the authenticity of the purported viral audio clip.
Addressing a press conference, CM Dhami said, "This is a very sensitive matter...As soon as I learned of the incident, I informed the police and other departments to arrest the accused at the earliest opportunity and that no one should be allowed to evade arrest. All three accused were immediately arrested. The body was recovered...All three accused were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment."
The Chief Minister stated that there should not be any confusion on this matter, adding that the government's track record shows that anyone found guilty would not be spared, irrespective of who they are. However, he emphasised that verifying the audio was essential.
"Now, an audio has surfaced where the names of several people have been taken. We said that the audio should be examined, and an SIT has been constituted. The police are trying to speak to the people in the audio. It would be helpful if the audio could be verified. Once it is verified, we are ready to conduct any type of investigation. There should not be any confusion. Our track record is such that if someone does something wrong and is found guilty, they will not be spared, regardless of who they are. However, the audio must be verified. All examinations and FSL testing have to be done, and we will not spare the guilty," he said.
"We have said that we are examining it (audio), we are getting an FSL examination. We are looking for them (the people purportedly in the audio). This will all be cleared up, and the truth will come out," he added.
Commenting further on the purported audio, the Chief Minister raised questions about the timing and pattern of such clips surfacing, noting that one name was mentioned in the audio and pointing out that a similar audio had earlier emerged in the paper leak matter.
He asserted, "One name was mentioned through an audio. A similar audio recording had surfaced in the paper leak matter as well. Why is a similar audio floated in the paper leak matter and chaos follows after? Is someone trying to vitiate the atmosphere in the state and looking for political ground here? There are other ways to do politics."
Meanwhile, amid the controversy surrounding the purported audio clip, BJP National General Secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge Dushyant Gautam filed a petition in the Delhi High Court in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case, making 11 parties, including Urmila Sanawar and Suresh Rathore, respondents in the case.
The approximately 250-page petition has been filed on Gautam's behalf by Delhi High Court advocates Simran Barar and Neelmani Guha. The petition names actress Urmila Sanawar and others as parties. Gautam has urged the court to grant an early hearing in the matter.
Those named as respondents in the petition include actress Urmila Sanawar; former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore; the Indian National Congress; Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee; PCC President Ganesh Godiyal; the Aam Aadmi Party; Congress spokesperson Alok Sharma; and Mohit Chauhan.
The petition also includes Gautam's location details during the period relevant to the case. According to the filing, he was in New Delhi on September 10, 13, 14, and 15, 2022. On September 16, 2022, he was in Uttar Pradesh; he returned to New Delhi on September 17 and 18. The filing further states that Gautam was in Odisha on September 19, 2022, and returned to New Delhi on September 20, 2022.
On Monday, Gautam denied all allegations, calling them a "well-planned criminal conspiracy" by political rivals like Congress and AAP to tarnish his and the BJP's image. (ANI)