Kotdwar (UKD), May 30 (PTI): A court here on Friday sentenced a resort operator and his two employees to rigorous life imprisonment in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case.

Bhandari (19), who worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort located in Yamkeshwar of Pauri district, was murdered on September 18, 2022 by resort operator Pulkit Arya and his two employees Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Reena Negi also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on all three convicts, prosecution lawyer Ajay Pant said.

According to the prosecution, Bhandari and Arya had a dispute over something after which the three pushed the woman into the Cheela canal in Rishikesh.

After her body was found from the canal, the police arrested all three.

Pulkit Arya is the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya. As soon as the matter came to light, the party showed the door to Vinod Arya.

The murder had triggered protests by locals following which the state government formed a special investigation team to probe it.

The hearing of the case lasted for two years and eight months and during this period 47 witnesses, were examined.

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Bengaluru: A woman in Bengaluru has shared a painful account of how her husband died after they were repeatedly denied medical help and ignored by passersby during a medical emergency, NDTV reported.

The victim, 34-year-old Venkataramanan, a garage mechanic from Balaji Nagar, developed severe chest pain around 3.30 am. His wife immediately took him on a motorcycle in search of medical help.

"He complained about chest pain, and we went to the first hospital. However, the doctor was not on duty. At the second hospital, we were told he had a stroke and to go to another hospital. When we called for ambulance services, they did not respond properly. Humanity failed, but we did our bit by donating his eye." NDTV quoted his wife as saying.

According to the report, after being turned away twice, the couple met with an accident on the road. CCTV footage later showed the woman, covered in blood, pleading with folded hands as vehicles passed by, but no one stopped to help.

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The wait ended after several minutes when a cab driver stopped and rushed Venkataramanan to a nearby hospital. Doctors there declared him dead on arrival.

As per the report, the family decided to donate Venkataramanan’s eyes, giving sight to others even in death.

Venkataraman's mother, who had lost her last surviving child, had no words to express herself: "I have no words. I do not know what to say. My son is gone."

"The government should understand a health emergency. My daughter is left with two children. Who will look after them?" asked his mother-in-law. His wife, mother, and two children, a five-year-old son and an 18-month-old daughter now survive Venkataramanan.

The incident has once again raised serious questions about emergency healthcare access, ambulance response, and public apathy in the city.