The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team investigating the Ankita Bhandari murder case reached the residence of Urmila Sanawar, the alleged wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur on Sunday.

A four-member CBI team, including a woman officer, reached Sanawar’s residence to question her regarding the high-profile case.

Earlier this week, Sanawar had participated in a press conference in New Delhi, alongside Bhandari’s parents.

Sanawar, through a video message, had also demanded that the CBI must interrogate her in the presence of the media since the investigation is not happening under the watch of a sitting Supreme Court judge.

This comes a day after the CBI questioned former BJP MLA Rathore at the Shivalik Guest House in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar.

The CBI took over the probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case in February this year. Its Delhi-based Special Crime Branch had registered a case against an “unknown VIP” in connection with the matter.

The case had returned to the spotlight early this year after viral audio clips and videos surfaced involving Sanawar.

During a Facebook Live session, Sanawar made references to the alleged involvement of a VIP in the murder, triggering fresh controversy and public debate.

These developments led to heightened political tensions, with Opposition parties and several organisations renewing demands for a CBI enquiry into the case.

Responding to the growing pressure and to address public concerns, the Uttarakhand government moved swiftly to ensure transparency. On January 9, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami formally recommended a CBI investigation.

The murder of Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist, sparked widespread outrage across Uttarakhand in 2022. She was working as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort when she was murdered on September 18, 2022. Her body was dumped in the Chilla Shakti Canal and recovered nearly a week later.

Following an extensive investigation by a Special Investigation Team, a 500-page charge sheet was filed in the case, naming 97 witnesses, out of whom 47 testified before the court.

The prime accused, Pulkit Arya, the owner of Vanantra Resort, along with co-accused Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Arya was found guilty on multiple serious charges, including murder, tampering with evidence, harassment, and immoral trafficking.

Meanwhile, several activists and the Congress have been organising protests in Uttarakhand and Delhi over the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim.

Earlier this week, Bhandari’s parents staged a sit-in at India Gate, demanding a stop to Gautam’s appointment as Governor. Later, along with Garhwal BJP MP Anil Baluni, they met the CBI officials.

Bhandari’s parents have also demanded that the government put the appointment on hold till the CBI probe is underway. They have urged the government to work towards ensuring that all those guilty of their daughter’s murder face strict punishment.

Twelve people were killed, while over 25 were injured after a truck rammed into shops near Shitla Mata Temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior early on Sunday, officials said.

The incident occurred at around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday when the truck lost control while descending a slope near the historic Shitla Mata Temple, located 18 kilometres from the district headquarters.

“Approximately 50 people were struck by the vehicle, resulting in at least 12 deaths. More than 25 others, including two police personnel and several children, have sustained injuries,” an official said.

According to eyewitnesses, the truck was loaded with sacks of paddy and lost control while descending a hill and crashed into shops near the temple.

“The truck, approaching from the direction of Chinor, went out of control while descending the slope near the main outer gate of the temple and ploughed into the shops situated around the gate. The impact caused significant damage to several shops and destroyed multiple two-wheeled vehicles,” an eyewitness told media.

Upon receiving news of the accident, police teams arrived at the scene and transported the injured to the hospital. About five individuals remain in critical condition. The bodies of the deceased have been taken to the Jaya Arogya Hospital in Gwalior.

Speaking to media, a local said, “When I looked around, there was utter chaos and distress. People were screaming and frantically searching for their loved ones. It was heartbreaking to see people trapped beneath the truck. As for negligence, this is a result of gross negligence by the Gwalior administration. It is a major lapse that led to this tragedy at the Shitla Mata Temple.”

“Our faith has been deeply shaken. People hold an unwavering belief in this temple, a place where neither a coconut is broken nor a lemon is cut, yet such a tragedy has occurred. It is heartbreaking. I demand that the government and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who frequently speak about Sanatan Dharma, come to Gwalior today. Compensation must be provided to the families of those who lost their lives, and the injured should receive free medical treatment,” he said.

A shopkeeper, Bablu Prajapati, said, “I had a shop here, which was being managed by my father. Two relatives were also visiting. In total, four people who were at the shop have been injured; they are all currently undergoing treatment in the hospital.”

The tragedy occurred during the auspicious festival of Navratri, when hundreds of thousands of devotees visit the historic Shitla Mata Temple. Typically, the route passing by the temple is closed to large vehicles during this period; hence, an investigation is underway to determine who allowed the truck to enter.

Officials have stated that they are probing who authorised the truck’s entry and whose negligence led to this incident.

An investigation is underway, and further details are awaited.

Four accused have been named in a supplementary chargesheet filed before a National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court in Haryana’s Panchkula in connection with a grenade attack carried out near a Women Police Station in Sirsa in 2025, officials said.

The NIA filed a supplementary chargesheet before the NIA Special Court on Saturday against four accused, namely Rajbir Singh alias Fouji, Ved Parkash alias Pamma, Jiwanjot Singh Grewal alias Jyoti and Chirag Thakral, in connection with the grenade attack near a Women Police Station in Sirsa on November 25, 2025 (RC-24/2025/NIA/DLI), according to the officials.

The case, originally registered as FIR No. 710/2025 dated November 26, 2025, at Police Station Civil Line in Sirsa, was re-registered by NIA on December 30, 2025, as RC-24/2025/NIA/DLI.

Earlier on May 24 this year, the investigating agency had filed a chargesheet in the case before the NIA Special Court in Panchkula, against nine accused, including Pakistani nationals Shahzad Bhatti and Sohail Ahmad alias Sohail Baloch, officials said.

“The supplementary chargesheet details the conspiracy and the individual roles of the 4 accused, along with the supporting evidence collected during further investigation. It charges them under sections 61(2) r/w 109 and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, sections 5 and 6 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and sections 18, 18B and 20 of the UA (P) Act, 1967,” the NIA said in a statement.

The investigators revealed that Rajbir Singh alias Fouji acted as the India-based coordinator of the cross-border network, working in coordination with foreign-based handlers for the collection and movement of weapons/hand grenades and narcotics in India.

Additionally, Chirag Thakral, Jiwanjot Singh Grewal alias Jyoti and Ved Parkash alias Pamma used to work under the directions of Rajbir Singh and played a key role in facilitating the movement of explosives used in the grenade attack at the Women Police Station in Sirsa, officials said.

“The attack was carried out by members of the Shahzad Bhatti network, acting pursuant to an organised conspiracy, with the intention of causing harm to police personnel and of creating terror and fear among the general public. NIA’s investigation has traced the conspiracy in the case to foreign-based handlers operating a cross-border terror network,” the NIA said.

It mentioned that further investigation in the case is continuing to identify and apprehend the other persons involved in the conspiracy and to unearth the complete cross-border terror network behind the attack.