Cong raises doubts over terms of reference for CBI inquiry in Ankita Bhandari case

By Arun Pratap Singh
my uttarakhand news Bureau 

DEHRADUN, 10 Jan: The Congress which had been demanding a CBI inquiry into Ankita Bhandari murder case and agitating over this issue, remains dissatisfied even after Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has recommended a CBI inquiry into the case.  PCC Chief Ganesh Godiyal on Saturday addressed a press conference raising doubts over terms of reference given to the CBI by the government for inquiry into the case.

Ganesh Godiyal questioned the specific Terms of Reference sent by the State government to the Government of India and demanded to know why the details of the representation have not been made public. Godiyal reminded that the demand for a CBI inquiry into the Ankita Bhandari case was raised from the very beginning by the women of the State, the family’s well-wishers, social organisations and several political parties, including the Congress. He alleged that it is no secret that the government attempted to suppress the investigation and mislead the public from the very first day and claimed that such efforts are continuing even now. He asserted that those responsible for trying to derail the probe would remain accountable for life, stating that such actions raise serious questions about the identity of Uttarakhand and amount to an insult to the women of the state.

Referring to the announcement made by Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami about recommendation for a CBI inquiry, Godiyal alleged that parallel efforts appear to be underway to divert the direction of the investigation. He questioned why the state government is reluctant to place the Terms of Reference in the public domain if its intentions are honest and transparent. The PCC Chief claimed that the very fact that the scope of the investigation is being kept confidential points to a flaw in the government’s intent.

Citing information received by the Congress, Ganesh Godiyal claimed that the government is attempting to restrict the ambit of the CBI probe. He alleged that the Terms of Reference have been framed in a manner that confines the investigation mainly to determining whether any ‘VIP’ was involved in the case, thereby narrowing the overall scope of inquiry. Describing this as a new tactic to protect the accused, he demanded that the government immediately make the Terms of Reference public so that the people of Uttarakhand are fully aware of the actual jurisdiction, scope and limits of the CBI investigation in the Ankita Bhandari murder case.