Uttarakhand receptionist murder: Woman’s parents threaten suicide over apathy

The family of the receptionist, who was allegedly murdered last year for refusing to provide “extra services” to a guest at a resort in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal, has accused the government of apathy in ensuring justice and threatened suicide if the prosecution lawyer Jitendra Rawat in the case was not removed.

In a video released on Thursday, the receptionist’s mother said the government will be responsible if they were forced to kill themselves while condemning the alleged apathy. She said they feel helpless and have no hope left. The mother added they have been running from pillar to post to ensure justice.

On Wednesday, the family said the administration has exonerated Rawat from weakening the case. Pauri Garhwal district magistrate Ashish Kumar Chauhan did not respond to the calls for confirmation.

Pulkit Arya, the resort owner and expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinod Arya’s son, and his staff members, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were arrested for allegedly murdering the 19-year-old woman in September last year. The woman’s body was recovered from a canal six days after her murder.

Rawat told HT he got a call from the administration saying he has been given the go-ahead to continue as the lawyer in the case. “It was a conspiracy against me.” He said some people were misleading the woman’s parents.

The woman’s mother maintained they have no hope for justice and felt helpless. “We requested the district magistrate and chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to remove the lawyer but to no avail. They do not want to remove him. Until he is removed, we will not visit the court. I request all witnesses to do the same.”

She questioned Dhami why he does not want justice. “Was she my daughter alone and not of the state? I request you remove the prosecution lawyer. Cannot you even listen to the parents who lost their daughter?”

The mother later told HT that the government does not seem to be serious. “If our daughter would not get justice, it would set a wrong precedent. It will allow criminals to commit such acts freely.”

In a letter to Chauhan on June 1, the woman’s father alleged Rawat was deliberately trying to save the accused by not bringing important facts before the court. “Prosecution witness number 8 Vivek Arya in his statement before the court said the accused attempted to rape my daughter. The prosecution lawyer did not bring such an important fact to the notice of the court and Vivek Arya’s statement was recorded in the court under molestation charge.”

He added Rawat has been uploading “objectionable videos” regarding the case on a YouTube channel which shows that he was not serious about ensuring justice. “The prosecution lawyer does not share the important information about the case. It is totally against the government’s pledge for justice.”