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Uttarakhand Registers Two FIRs Over Viral Clips Linking BJP Leader to Ankita Bhandari Case

Police scrutiny of the new audio and video coincides with opposition calls for a CBI probe.

Overview

  • Fresh FIRs in Dehradun and Haridwar name former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore and actor Urmila Sanawar after clips alleged a senior leader was the 'VIP' tied to the 2022 murder.
  • Dushyant Kumar Gautam denies any link, calls the material fabricated, seeks platform takedowns, threatens defamation action, and says he would retire if wrongdoing is proven.
  • Police bookings cite Section 67 of the IT Act and multiple Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions, with complaints lodged by Aarti Gaur in Dehradun and Dharmendra Kumar in Haridwar.
  • Rathore claims the recordings are AI-generated and alleges long-running blackmail by Sanawar, saying he paid her Rs 50 lakh; Sanawar publicly identified Gautam in a video.
  • ADG V. Murugesan says evidence-based action will follow and notes courts upheld the SIT probe that led to life sentences for three accused, as parties debate calls for a CBI inquiry.