Months after allegations were leveled against local revenue police in the Ankita Bhandari murder case involving a BJP leader's son, the Uttarakhand government on Tuesday abolished the revenue policing system in the state.
The Pushkar Singh Dhami government also notified that the revenue villages were to be brought under the regular policing system. Law and order in 1,800 revenue villages of Uttarakhand will now be handled by the state police, said a statement by the Chief Minister's Office.
The demand to replace the 'Revenue Police System' in Uttarakhand gained ground during the probe into Ankita Bhandari's murder in September 2022.
The body of the 19-year-old, who worked as a receptionist at a resort run by Pulkit Arya, the son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, was recovered from Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24 after she went missing for six days.
The area came under revenue police jurisdiction.
Allegations were raised against the revenue police for not registering a complaint on time and even siding with the accused.
The government has abolished the system of revenue police and notified 1,800 villages to be brought under regular police. In the first phase, the border of 52 police stations and 19 police posts will be expanded, added the statement.
Chief Minister Dhami has highlighted that many such criminal activities are taking place which requires technical skill and quick action. He said that therefore a need was felt to transfer the areas of revenue police to regular police in a phased manner.
Under the unique revenue police system, civil officials of the revenue department had the powers and functions of the regular police. Whenever a crime took place, the revenue police of the area filed an FIR, investigated the case, arrested the accused, and also filed a chargesheet in the local court.
On December 17, the Uttarkhand Police filed a charge sheet against the three persons accused in the murder of Ankita Bhandari and submitted it before the Kotdwar Judicial Court.
On December 4, the Uttarakhand Police said just the Narco tests of the accused remained.
Ankita was reported missing for at least six days before the officials found her body. Pulkit Arya was arrested for allegedly pushing her into the canal following an altercation. Two more people - Ankit Gupta and Saurabh Bhaskar, have also been arrested in the case.
( With inputs from ANI )
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