Dehradun, Jan. 6 -- The parents of the 19-year-old receptionist who was raped and murdered in a resort near Rishikesh in September 2022, in an interview with HT on Monday, reiterated their demand for an impartial investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case. "We will continue our fight for our daughter until our last breath. If none of the ruling party leaders is the 'VIP' for whom my daughter was being pressurised, then why is the government scared of ordering a CBI probe?" asked the father of the victim. In May 2025, a court in Pauri Garhwal district sentenced all three accused- Pulkit Arya, son of later-expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, who owned the Vanantra Resort in Yamkeshwar where the crime took place, and employees Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, to imprisonment without bail for life. The three men were convicted of murdering her by throwing her into the Chilla canal after a heated dispute. According to eyewitness testimonies received during interrogation, she was also raped earlier in the day by the prime accused Arya. Recently, a purported audio clip depicting a telephonic conversation between BJP MLA Suresh Rathore and a woman claiming to be in an extra-marital relationship with him was uploaded on social media, in which Rathore is heard allegedly making references that the victim was pressurised to engage in sex work. The clip also alleged that a BJP leader allegedly attempted to enlist her services. The clip sparked protests across the state, which are currently ongoing. "We have been demanding a CBI probe from the very beginning. There were some VIPs linked to the ruling party who were pressurising her to engage in sex work," alleged the victim's father. "For that very reason, they destroyed the resort to wipe out crucial evidence," he added. As the trial in the case was ongoing in December 2023, a JCB driver testified in court that he was allegedly engaged to demolish the section of the resort in which the victim stayed during her employment by BJP MLA from Yamkeshwar, Renu Bisht. The demolition in question took place on September 23, 2022. Speaking to HT, the victim's father said that a statewide bandh was scheduled for January 11 if the government did not agree to hand the case over to the CBI. He added that his family suffered immense mental, physical and financial distress since the incident, alleging that the government failed to provide adequate support. Cabinet minister Subodh Uniyal said on January 2 that anyone making allegations should furnish evidence, adding that the government was open to any form of investigation. The following day, Haridwar SP (rural) Shekhar Suyal rejected the claims of "VIP involvement". On Sunday, protests intensified in Dehradun, leading to a confrontation between the police and protestors. Speaking to reporters on Monday, BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan alleged that the opposition led by the state Congress unit were spreading lies and trying to mislead people about the case. He added that the woman who made the allegations about the BJP leader's involvement in solicitation should have come forward during the investigation to prove them, but had remained silent. "Only the Congress is pushing these allegations," he said....