Dushyant Gautam was not in Uttarakhand at the time of Ankita's killing: Dhami

Dehradun: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said BJP member Dushyant Kumar Gautam, who is besieged with allegations of being involved in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case, was not in Uttarakhand at the time of the receptionist's killing.

Earlier, Gautam, the party affairs in-charge in the state, filed a police complaint against ex-MLA Suresh Rathore and his purported wife Urmila Sanawar at the Dalanwala Police Station in Dehradun, alleging defamation.

Gautam also accused Rathore and Sanawar of conspiring against him in collusion with opposition parties.

All the same, the Uttarakhand High Court on Tuesday granted interim protection to Rathore from arrest in the defamation FIR.

Meanwhile, Dhami, at a press conference, said that a conspiracy was hatched to spoil the atmosphere of the state solely based on a name mentioned in an audio clip.

"Our in-charge (Gautam) was named in a press conference in Delhi. The police have also verified that he did not come to Uttarakhand between September 10 and September 20," he said.

The chief minister said that Gautam's social media and Facebook accounts bear out his absence from the state.

The latest row in the state hinges on a video released by Sanawar on social media, an audio recording of her alleged conversation with Rathore, and a "VIP" seeking sexual favours from Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort in Rishikesh.

An audio clip whose veracity is yet to be ascertained mentions a "VIP" leader involved in the Ankita murder case, and identifies him as "Gattu".

Sanawar later alleged that "Gattu" is Dushyant Gautam.