Uttarakhand BJP expelled leader after son held in murder case

The Uttarakhand BJP on Saturday expelled Vinod Arya and Ankit Arya, the father and brother of accused Pulkit,in connection with the murder case of a receptionist, Ankita Bhandari. They have been suspended from the party with immediate effect. Vinod Arya, the father of the main accused Pulkit Arya, was a former chairman of Uttarakhand Mati Kala Board with the rank of state minister. Ankit Arya, brother of Pulkit Arya, was also relieved by the state government from the post of Deputy Chairman of the Uttarakhand Other Backward Classes Commission. The woman's body was recovered from a canal on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile,  angry locals near Rishikesh,set fire to parts of the building. They also vandalised local BJP MLA Renu Bisht's car. Cops had to reportedly evacuate her to safety. The body of Ankita Bhandari, who went missing on the premises of a private resort owned by BJP leader's son Pulkit Arya, was found by the police near Chilla powerhouse. Pulkit -- who owns the resort in Pauri's Yamkeshwar block -- was arrested along with two employees of  the resort for allegedly killing the receptionist, who had been missing for the past few days. A part of the resort was earlier demolished on the order of Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who expressed pain over the death of the woman and announced the setting up of an SIT, led by DIG police P Renuka Devi, to conduct a speedy probe into the killing. 

It is said that Pulkit Arya had approached the police with a missing complaint to mislead the investigation. During the course of investigation, police learnt the accused and the woman had gone to Rishikesh on Sunday. While on their way back, Pulkit and the woman entered into an argument following which the accused threw her into a canal in Chilla,”said SSP, Pauri. The three accused were sent to a 14-day judicial custody by a Kotdwar court, police said. Garhwal.