The woman’s relatives and local residents blocked a highway in protest
Family members of the 19-year-old receptionist, whose murder has sparked protests in Uttarakhand, have raised questions on the government’s action in the case and refused to cremate her body. Relatives and local residents blocked a highway in protest
Here are the top 10 developments of this big story
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Questioning the state government’s move to demolish the resort where the woman worked, her family has alleged that it was done to destroy evidence in the case in which the son of a senior BJP leader — now expelled — is the prime accused.
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They have also said they will not cremate the body till the final post-mortem report is released. A provisional report has stated that the woman died due to drowning and that her body had signs of injury caused by blunt force. Officials are now trying to convince the family. Relatives and local residents of the woman today blocked the Srinagar-Kedarnath highway in protest.
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The Opposition too has raised questions on the demolition, carried out on the orders of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. “This is a planned murder. People suspect that this demolition was carried out to destroy evidence,” senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat told NDTV.
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The 19-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by the hotel’s owner, a BJP leader’s son, and two others after she allegedly resisted their attempts to push her into prostitution. The body of the woman, first reported missing, was recovered from a canal yesterday.
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Pulkit Arya, son of now expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two others have been arrested in connection with the crime, which has sparked huge protests in the state.
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The Opposition has accused police of going slow in their investigation due to the accused’s links with the ruling party, and questioned the delay in the registration of the FIR. State police chief Ashok Kumar explained that the area where the resort is located does not fall under the jurisdiction of regular police. “We have a system of land revenue officials registering FIRs,” he said, explaining the delay.
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Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has assured of “harshest action”. “This is a very heinous crime. Whoever the culprit is, will not be spared,” he has said.
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The accused’s father Vinod Arya, former chairman of a state board with the rank of a minister, and his brother Ankit Arya, also a BJP functionary, have been expelled by the party. Mr Arya, however, said that they had resigned from the party. He also said Pulkit did not stay with them.
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Besides Pulkit Arya, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta have been arrested. The girl was last seen with the three men in a CCTV camera’s footage, police have said.
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Anger has spilled on to the streets in the hill town following the horrifying crime. Local residents yesterday surrounded a police vehicle transporting the accused, smashed window panes and assaulted them. Police somehow managed to rescue them.
