By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
After remaining defensive in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday went on offensive as he sought an apology from the opposition in the wake of a new audio/video that allegedly stated that actress Urmila Sanwar dragged the name of BJP leader Dushyant Gautam under pressure.
“In the wake of the new audio-video, the opposition should apologize to the people of Uttarakhand for misleading them (in the Ankita Bhandari murder case,” Dhami said in Dehradun during an interaction with the media.
A fresh legal battle started in the Ankita Bhandari murder case on Wednesday with the Delhi High Court directing the opposition to remove within 24 hours social media posts linking BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam on the issue and the police questioning actress Urmila Sanawar in Dehradun
The police also took into possession Sanawar’s alleged audio recordings that brought a political storm in Uttarakhand.
After Sanawar and her alleged husband and former MLA Suresh Rathore stated that they were ready to appear before the SIT for further investigations in the case, the controversial actress who arrived in Dehradun on Tuesday night said she has come to Dehradun along with Swami Darshan Bharti, a Hindu activist. She was later questioned by the state police in Dehradun for a long time. In yet another purported audio, Sanawar has alleged that she was under pressure to drag big names in the case.
Reacting to the new audio, the Chief Minister said political parties should have a sense of responsibility, but this was completely absent in the Ankita murder case. He said that after the audio surfaced, people in the state were provoked, creating a situation of instability, confusion, and doubt.
The Chief Minister said, “the people are watching everything they (the opposition parties) have done. Now that a new audio has surfaced, they should say something about that too. They should apologize to the people of Uttarakhand for using Ankita’s soul for their politics.”
In response to another question, he said that he had met Ankita’s parents and listened to their concerns, and a decision regarding the investigation into their daughter’s murder would be taken soon after considering their views.
The Chief Minister said that Ankita’s parents, who have lost their daughter, have suffered the most in this murder case. He said, “I have listened to them. A decision will be taken soon after considering their views.”
Caption: CM Dhami meeting parents of Ankita Bhandari at his official residence in Dehradun on Wednesday night