Dehradun: Political turmoil continues in Uttarakhand over the Ankita Bhandari murder case. Given the widespread uproar in the state over this case, the state government has approved a CBI investigation. However, this is not the first time that a CBI investigation has been approved after an SIT investigation. In fact, within the last seven months, the state government has recommended a CBI investigation after an SIT investigation in three separate cases.
First SIT, then CBI investigation: Whenever a major case comes to light in Uttarakhand, the state government immediately constitutes an SIT for investigation to ensure a thorough inquiry. In the last seven months, some such cases have come to light in Uttarakhand, leading to public outrage. In 2025, the Uttarakhand government recommended a CBI investigation in two serious cases. In the case of fraud amounting to over Rs. 100 crore by the LUCC company in Uttarakhand, the state government approved a CBI investigation. Similarly, in view of the public outrage over the UKSSSC paper leak case, the state government approved a CBI investigation.
Uproar over actress Urmila Sanawar’s audio: Similarly, after some audio related to the Ankita Bhandari murder case went viral on social media, there has been an uproar in the state for the last 15 to 20 days. The main opposition party, Congress, along with other opposition parties and social organizations, are continuously protesting across the state. From the initial stages, after the audio was leaked by actress Urmila Sanawar, political parties and various organizations were demanding a CBI investigation. Considering this, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said that he would meet Ankita Bhandari’s parents to understand their wishes and then take a decision based on their demands. CM Dhami meets Ankita’s parents: In this regard, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met with Ankita Bhandari’s parents on the evening of January 7 and assured them that a decision would be made on their demands as soon as possible. Following this, on January 9, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami approved a CBI investigation based on the political turmoil in the state and the demands of Ankita’s parents. Despite this, the political turmoil surrounding the Ankita Bhandari case continues in Uttarakhand. However, this is the first case in 2026 where the state government has approved a CBI investigation to examine important facts related to the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
CBI investigation into paper leak and LUCC financial fraud: Paper leak cases have surfaced in Uttarakhand before, but after a paper leak case came to light in 2025, the youth of the state started protesting. Public outrage also erupted throughout the state. On September 21, a case of paper leak from one center during the graduate-level recruitment examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission came to light. The state government had formed an SIT to investigate the matter. However, the youth of the state started protesting, demanding the cancellation of the examination and a CBI investigation. Considering the seriousness of the matter and the public outrage, CM Dhami canceled the examination and approved a CBI investigation on September 29.
Outrage over LUCC financial fraud: Furthermore, a case of fraud amounting to more than 100 crore rupees by the LUCC company came to light in Uttarakhand. After this case surfaced, there was widespread outrage among the people of the state. Cases were continuously being registered against the LUCC company, especially in the hilly regions of the state. However, the company’s network extended not only to Uttarakhand but also to several other states, due to which the people of the state were continuously demanding a CBI investigation. Several petitions were also filed in the High Court regarding this. Initially, the SIT was investigating the entire matter. But on July 23, 2025, the state government approved a CBI investigation at the demand of the public. Meanwhile, Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal said that the opposition is doing its job. The opposition’s job is to put pressure on the government and work in the interest of the public. If the government is being forced to accept investigations at this time, it is due to the pressure from the opposition. He expressed happiness that they are fulfilling their duty effectively. He also said that it is clear that the SIT has favored the criminals and the government. Therefore, when the time comes, action will be taken against those SIT officers who worked to protect the culprits at the behest of the government. Any investigation that needs to be conducted by the CBI will be done, because the CBI was created for this purpose.
BJP says opposition is without issues: BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt said that the opposition has become devoid of issues; the opposition has no issues left. Moreover, it is an election year, and therefore, a perception has been created in the state to sow distrust in the state government’s investigations. The truth is that in addition to the Ankit case, in other cases where CBI investigations were conducted, the state government conducted investigations rigorously through the SIT. As a result, the criminals are behind bars. Despite this, the opposition tries to spoil the atmosphere by giving new illogical arguments, while the Chief Minister respects public sentiments.
