Ankita Bhandari Murder: Protestors block Badrinath-Rishikesh Highway | Family reluctant to conduct last rites

The family members of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year old receptionist who was reportedly killed by her employer in Uttarakhand refused to perform her last rites without her final postmartem report. Her preliminary reports have suggested that she lost her life because of drowning, as reported by news agency PTI.

Her father Virendra Singh Bhandari said that the family is not satisfied with her provisional postmortem report, and they will not perform her last rites without receiving the detailed final postmortem report. Ajay Kumar Bhandari, Ankita Bhandari's brother claimed that details were missing in the provisional report. He also expressed his doubts about Ankita's demolition exercise at the resort being an attempt to destroy evidence.

Ankita Bhandari worked at Vanantara Resort in the Yamkeshwar block of Puri district. It is owned by Pulkit Arya, son of BJP leader Vinod Arya. Pulkit along with two other employees have been arrested in this case.

A huge crowd of protesters blocked the Badrinath-Rishikesh highway in Srinagar, Uttarakhand on Sunday, demanding action against the accused in the case. The protest was held in front of the mortuary located near the base hospital where they took Bhandari's body. The shops remained closed in the morning to join the protest against her killing.

The murder has evoked anger amongst the locals in Pauri who blocked the bus stations in many other parts in Uttarakhand. Protestors also gathered at the district magistrate's office in the Pauri district.