Ankita Bhandari parents meet CBI officials seeking justice

The parents of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist murdered in Uttarakhand in September 2022, met with senior officials at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters in New Delhi on Friday. During the meeting, Virendra Singh Bhandari and Soni Devi shared details regarding the case and sought justice for their daughter.

CBI officials assured the family that the investigation would be conducted in a thorough, impartial, and neutral manner, covering all aspects of the case. This meeting follows a protest held by the family near India Gate on October 14, where they demanded that the appointment of a certain ‘VIP’ implicated in the case be revoked until the CBI completes its probe.

The Uttarakhand state government has maintained that it has acted with seriousness, noting that suspects were arrested within 24 hours of the incident and a special investigation team was formed. The government stated that a 500-page charge sheet was filed and that the accused were previously sentenced to life imprisonment. Additionally, the state has provided financial assistance and government jobs to the victim's father and brother.