Protesters call for CBI investigation into receptionist’s murder

DEHRADUN: Protesters demanding a CBI probe into the murder of a woman receptionist and revealing the name of the VIP involved in the case had a scuffle with police when they marched towards Raj Bhavan in Dehradun on Saturday.

Over three months after the murder of the 19-year-old Pauri Garhwal receptionist woman, the mystery around the alleged VIP guest for whom the victim was being pressurised to give “special services”, is still unsolved

The receptionist was allegedly murdered by resort owner and expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya’s son Pulkit and two other staff members at his resort in Rishikesh . The incident took place on September 18, while the woman’s body was recovered from the Chilla canal six days later. The murder had triggered a public outrage. Pulkit Arya along with two other accused is now in jail.

The matter is also sub-judice before the Uttarakhand high court. The protesters under the banner of Yuva Nyay Sangharsh Samiti Rishikesh were stopped by the police and some of them, including the Congress leader Jayendra Ramola, were detained .

State Congress president Karan Mahara said when he came to know that the protesters had been detained at Cantt police station, he went there.

“But police took me and few others to Police Lines and later released us”, he said.

Mahara giving details of the incident said that people from across parties and groups under the banner of Yuva Nyay Sangharsh Samiti Rishikesh had been agitating for the last 52 days in Rishikesh, demanding a CBI probe into the murder of the woman receptionist and revealing of the name of the VIP involved in the case.

“When no senior official visited them at the site of the protest, Jayendra Ramola and a few others decided to come to Dehradun to hold a peaceful protest in front of the Raj Bhawan. But the police there stopped them and dragged them. They were manhandled and detained, and released later,” Mahara said.

Later in the day, Congress leaders including state president Karan Mahara and others reached Indresh Hospital when they came to know that Vipin Rawat of Joshimath, who had been hit on the head on November 25, had died here at the hospital.

Mahara said Congress condemns the apathetic attitude of the government towards the worsening of the law and order situation in the state.

“When Vipin Rawat died at 3 am today, only after that police made one arrest. Since the incident local police had been asking his father for compromise,” he said. In the afternoon, on the directions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Dehradun SSP suspended the Lakkhi Bagh outpost in charge Praveen Saini for being negligent in the Vipin Rawat murder case