Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said that BJP member Dushyant Kumar Gautam was not in Uttarakhand at the time of the killing of Ankita Bhandari, the receptionist whose murder in 2022 sparked widespread outrage in the state.

Dhami made the statement amid allegations linking Gautam to the case. Gautam, who is the BJP’s party affairs in-charge in Uttarakhand, has been accused of involvement after his name surfaced in connection with an alleged audio clip related to the murder.

Earlier in the day, Gautam filed a police complaint at the Dalanwala Police Station in Dehradun against former MLA Suresh Rathore and his purported wife Urmila Sanawar, accusing them of defamation.

In his complaint, Gautam also alleged that Rathore and Sanawar conspired 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.

Addressing a press conference, Dhami said that a conspiracy was being carried out to disturb the atmosphere of the state based solely 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 added that Gautam’s social media and Facebook accounts corroborate his absence from the state during the relevant period.

The latest controversy centres on a video released by Sanawar on social media, an audio recording of her alleged conversation with Rathore, and references to a “VIP” who allegedly sought sexual favours from Bhandari, who was working as a receptionist at a resort in Rishikesh.

An audio clip, whose authenticity has not yet been verified, mentions a “VIP” leader purportedly involved in the Ankita murder case and identifies him as “Gattu”.

Sanawar later alleged that “Gattu” is Dushyant Gautam.