Pauri Garhwal (Uttarakhand) [India], September 18 (ANI): High drama unfolded near Yamkeshwar on Friday as Congress leaders and party workers, led by Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal, clashed with the police while attempting to march towards the controversial Vanantara Resort on the death anniversary of Ankita Bhandari.
The confrontation took place following a ‘Shradhanjali Sabha’ (memorial meeting) organised at Bhogpur Talla in Yamkeshwar to pay homage to the 19-year-old receptionist who was allegedly murdered in September 2022.
Following the memorial, a large group of Congress workers led by Godiyal began marching towards the nearby Vanantara Resort—the site where Bhandari was employed and where the alleged crime took place. They were stopped by the police, leading to the clash.
Ankita Bhandari, who was working as a receptionist at the Vanantara Resort in Rishikesh, was murdered in September 2022. Her body was recovered from the Cheela Canal on September 24, 2022.
Earlier on Thursday, Congress leader and AICC Uttarakhand in-charge Kumari Selja slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttarakhand over alleged threats received by advocate Navneesh Negi, who is representing the family of Bhandari, calling the development "extremely serious."
Questioning the law and order situation in Uttarakhand, Selja took to social media platform X and wrote, "The ongoing fight for justice for Ankita Bhandari by advocate Shri Navneesh Negi receiving alleged threats, is extremely serious. The BJP government must explain: Under whose protection in Uttarakhand have criminals become so emboldened that even advocates fighting for justice are no longer safe?"
"The battle to secure justice for Ankita has already raised several grave questions about the system, and now threats to an advocate on her side raise yet another major question mark over the BJP government's law and order situation," she added.
Demanding immediate security for the advocate, Selja urged the state government to bring in an Advocate Protection Act.
"The government must immediately conduct an impartial investigation, bring the guilty to justice, ensure the advocate's safety, and take concrete steps on the Advocate Protection Act. In Devbhoomi, there should be no fear of criminals—only the rule of law," the Congress leader added.
The case gained renewed attention after an FIR was registered against an unidentified VIP in January 2026, following allegations and viral audio and video clips referring to the involvement of a VIP.
The Central Bureau of Investigation subsequently registered the case through its Special Crime Branch after Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recommended a CBI probe on January 9, 2026.
The CBI has since taken custody of records related to the case, including the Special Investigation Team report, the police FIR and other documents. The agency is also expected to record the statement of Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, who had filed the FIR.
The development came after protests across Uttarakhand demanding a CBI investigation into the alleged VIP angle in Ankita Bhandari's murder.
In this case, the resort owner Pulkit Arya, manager Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankita Gupta have already been sentenced to life imprisonment. (ANI)
Ankita Bhandari murder case: Congress workers clash with police during protest march to Vanantara Resort in Uttarakhand
