Uttarakhand BJP expels party leader Vinod Arya after son Pulkit Arya arrested in Ankita Bhandari's murder case

Dehradun: The BJP Saturday expelled Vinod Arya and his son from the party a day after the leader's another son was arrested in the murder case of a woman receptionist at a resort in Pauri.

Vinod Arya's son Pulkit -- who owns the resort in Pauri's Yamkeshwar block -- was arrested Friday along with two employees of the resort for allegedly killing the receptionist, who had been missing for the past few days.

The party's media incharge Manveer Chauhan said on Saturday that action has been taken against Vinod Arya and Ankit on the orders of state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt.

Vinod Arya, a party leader from Haridwar, has formerly served as a chairman of the Uttarakhand Mati Board with a state minister's rank. Pulkit's brother Ankit is the vice president of state OBC Commission.

The three murder accused -- Pulkit Arya, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta -- were sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court on Friday.