Uttarakhand teen's family wants autopsy report to be made public, refuses to perform last rites

Dehradun, Sep 25: The parents of murdered receptionist in Uttarakhand have refused to perform her last rites until they get the final postmortem details, even as a preliminary report said she died due to drowning.

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 a senior BJP leader's son is the prime accused.

The draft report released by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, also said antemortem injuries (injuries before death) have been found on Ankita Bhandari's body, suggestive of a blunt force trauma. However, she died of drowning, said the preliminary report.

The postmortem was conducted by a four-member team of doctors at AIIMS on Saturday. The details of injuries and other findings will be given in the final report, said the draft.

Ankita's father and brother on Sunday refused to perform her last rites until they get the final postmortem report. "I am not satisfied with the provisional postmortem report. Her last rites will not be performed until we get the final detailed report," said her father Virendra Singh Bhandari.

Her brother Ajay Singh Bhandari said the provisional report is lacking in detail. They also spoke against the demolition exercise carried out at the resort where she was working as a receptioninst. "It may be an attempt to destroy evidence," Ajay said.

Five resorts in Dhanachuli area of Nainital district were sealed on Saturday in a swift action on resorts and guest houses in the state following the killing of Ankita Bhandari allegedly by the owner of a resort where she worked as a receptionist.

The body of Ankita Bhandari who worked in a Uttarakhand resort was recovered from a canal on Saturday, police said as the ruling BJP swung into action to expel its leader whose son, the main accused, owned the property and the administration began demolishing the structure.

Outrage over the killing of the 19-year-old, who worked as a receptionist in the Vanantara resort in Pauri district's Yamkeshwar block owned by Haridwar BJP leader Vinod Arya's son Pulkit Arya, escalated as details emerged of her trauma in the days preceding her death.

Violent protests erupted in areas surrounding the resort with locals breaking glass panes and some trying to torch a pickle factory in its premises. However, the fire did not spread much as the weather was cloudy.BJP's Yamkeshwar MLA Renu Bisht's car was also attacked near the Cheela canal close to Rishikesh.