Ankita Bhandari murder case: BJP leader Vinod Arya breaks his silence over son's arrest
Former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vinod Arya, Pulkit Arya's father, denied all allegations against his son, claiming he was innocent. "Sadha seedha balak (he is a simple boy). He only cares about his job. I want justice for both my son Pulkit and the murdered woman," according to Arya.
FollowFormer Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vinod Arya, the father of the prime accused in the murder of a receptionist in Uttarakhand, called his son Pulkit Arya a 'seedha sadha balak' (a simple boy) on Sunday.
Vinod Arya denied all allegations levelled against Pulkit Arya, claiming that his son was innocent. "Sadha seedha balak hai (he is a simple boy). He is only concerned with his job. I want justice for both my son Pulkit and the woman who was murdered," Arya stated. According to his father, he would never act in such a way.
Arya stated that Pulkit had been living separately from family for quite some time. His father's comments come a day after the BJP expelled him and his son Ankit Arya, the accused's brother, amid widespread outrage over the murder of the 19-year-old woman.
In contrast, Arya claimed that he resigned from the party yesterday to ensure a fair and impartial investigation of the case.
"Although Pulkit is innocent, I left the BJP to guarantee a fair investigation. Ankit, my son, has also resigned," he stated.
Pulkit Arya, the owner of the Rishikesh resort where the woman worked as a receptionist, was arrested along with resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta on Friday.
According to state police chief Ashok Kumar, an investigation based on the accused's questioning and the woman's mobile chat history reveals that she was pressured to provide 'special services' to resort guests, which she refused.
"The woman had sent WhatsApp messages to her close friend sharing her ordeal days before she went missing," he said. "They're attempting to turn me into a prostitute," one of her messages stated.
After an argument, the three men allegedly thrashed the girl and pushed her into a canal near the resort, according to sources.
Previously, a Facebook friend of the woman claimed she was killed as she refused to have sex with resort guests, for which she was offered Rs 10,000.
According to Kumar, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Deputy Inspector General of Police Renuka Devi is now looking into the matter. The police will ensure that the accused receives the 'strictest possible punishment' for the heinous crime.
The SIT was established in response to a directive from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who has promised 'the harshest action' in the case, regardless of who is involved.
On Saturday morning, police recovered the woman's body from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh. According to the preliminary autopsy report, the woman drowned and suffered blunt force trauma.
As details of her murder became public, violent protests erupted around the Rishikesh resort, with locals breaking glass panes and attempting to torch a pickle factory on the property.
When the accused men were being taken to court on Friday, an angry mob attacked the police car.
Also Read: Ankita Bhandari murder case: Was teenager killed for refusing 'special services' with resort guests?
