Ankita case: Prime accused's factory set on fire, Opposition burns govt's effigy

Outrage in Rishikesh grew over the alleged killing of Ankita Bhandari with people setting a factory of the prime accused on fire on Saturday.

Ever since the recovery of Ankita's body on Saturday morning, people are demanding death sentence for the accused.

A mob at AIIMS, Rishikesh, vandalised Yamkeshwar MLA Renu Bisht's car. Sensing the situation to be grim, Renu Bisht left the city.

The prime accused in the case is Pulkit Arya, son of former state minister Vinod Arya.

The BJP has expelled Vinod Arya and Pulkit's brother Ankit Arya from the party.

Ankit Arya has also been removed from the post of Deputy Chairman of the Uttarakhand Other Backward Classes Commission with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, the Opposition burnt Uttarakhand government's effigy and demanded strict punishment for the guilty.

On Friday, the protesters had vandalised Pulkit's resort. On the direction of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the resort has been razed to the ground.

Expressing deep grief over the incident, Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan said: "This is a heart-breaking incident that shames humanity. We have lost a daughter of Uttarakhand for which we all are sad."

She also expressed condolences to the bereaved family.

The Speaker said that the state government and she herself are with Ankita's family, assuring that justice will prevail and the gulity will be punished.

"Now we have to think as to how much the revenue police is effective in the area. Should revenue police be given policing rights. Strict decisions need to be taken about probing all the illegal resorts," she said.

Pulkit and his two aides have been sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Teams of Municipal Council and Revenue Department have reached Pulkit's place where Vinod Arya said, "We will cooperate with the administration."