On Saturday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned former Uttarakhand MLA Suresh Rathore for three hours at the Shivalik Guest House in Haridwar in connection with the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari. The interrogation followed a meeting between Ankita’s parents and senior CBI officials in Delhi earlier this week, where the agency assured them of a fair probe.
Rathore, who represented the Jwalapur constituency, said he had already shared everything he knows with investigators and pledged to keep cooperating.
The case, which saw resort owner Pulkit Arya and two accomplices convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, has been mired in controversy over alleged VIP involvement, fueled by a December audio clip purporting a conversation between Rathore and an alleged wife, Urmila Sanawar.
Protests erupted after the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim governor, with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra meeting the grieving parents and several Congress members being detained during a sit‑in at India Gate.
Rathore said he does not know who Urmila Sanawar is and declined to comment on the parents’ meeting with Delhi officials, but insisted the investigation would uncover the truth.