Ankita Bhandari murder case: 'Resort's demolition may have destroyed crucial evidence,' says ex-Uttarakhand DGP

"It seems to me that the proper procedure of demolition of the so-called illegal resort was not followed in this case. Usually, a show-cause notice is issued before any such exercise is undertaken," said former Uttarakhand DGP Aloke B Lal.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Aloke B Lal wondered if the demolition of the resort was carried out by the accused themselves
  • A probe will determine whose orders led to the demolition, he added
  • The former Uttarakhand DGP further said regular police must replace revenue police in Uttarakhand
Dehradun: Former Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Aloke B Lal on Tuesday said that the rush to demolish the resort in question in the Ankita Bhandari murder case may have destroyed crucial evidence.
A part of the resort at Bhogpur in the Pauri district was razed overnight and there have been allegations that evidence in the murder case was destroyed.
"It seems to me that the proper procedure of demolition of the so-called illegal resort was not followed in this case. Usually, a show-cause notice is issued before any such exercise is undertaken," Lal told news agency PTI in an exclusive interview.
He added: "However, in this case, bulldozers razed portions of the resort in the dead of night without any prior notice. The sudden action must have destroyed crucial evidence in the case."
"The main purpose behind the late-night action could be seen as the administration's overzealousness to project itself as effective. The action seems to have been aimed at gaining brownie points for quick action against the accused," he said.
Furthermore, he wondered if the demolition was carried out by the accused themselves. According to him, the investigation will determine whose orders led to the demolition.
On the claim of the Pauri district administration that the resort was videographed two days before it was bulldozed and that the footage contained all the evidence, the former DGP explained that videography cannot capture forensic evidence like hair strands, sweat, saliva, or semen drops, which would have been essential to establishing the facts.
He said that the news reports that mattresses were found floating in a pool at the resort after they were set ablaze allegedly by an angry mob of locals only deepened doubts about possible evidence destruction.
"Mattresses in such cases may contain vital evidence like strands of hair or semen drops," the former DGP said.
He further wondered where was the footage recorded on the resort's CCTV cameras. It will provide essential evidence about what happened before the alleged altercation.
There is also a delay in transferring the case from revenue police to regular police, which makes things look murky. The public may interpret it as a deliberate attempt to protect the guilty, he said.
"Revenue police is both untrained and unequipped to handle murder cases. Why was the case allowed to lie with it for four days? Murder cases are time-sensitive. Delay leads to loss of evidence and the case becomes more difficult to unravel," he said.
The former Uttarakhand DGP added: "During my tenure in the Police HQ in 2001-2002, I had written to the government seeking an end to the stone age revenue police system but, unfortunately, it still continues in Uttarakhand."
State police must replace them immediately everywhere in the state, according to Lal.
Nevertheless, the former DGP expressed hope that the SIT headed by DIG Renuka Devi would examine the case from all angles.
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