After Dushyant Kumar Gautam was sworn-in as the governor of Sikkim on Monday, the Congress attacked the ruling BJP at the Centre and alleged that he has been seated in the Raj Bhavan so that no legal action can be taken against him in the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
Bhandari's parents and the Congress have been staging protests against Gautam's appointment as the Sikkim governor.
Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh, was murdered on September 18, 2022.
Her body was found from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinod Arya, and two of his accomplices have been convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The high-profile murder case had triggered widespread protests across Uttarakhand.
The case hogged the political spotlight over allegations that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime.
Bhandari's family and activists have demanded an investigation into the alleged VIP angle, with Gautam's name being raised in connection with the allegations.
Speaking with reporters, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Uttarakhand Kumari Selja said a person whose name is linked to a massive scandal is being appointed in the Raj Bhavan of Sikkim.
"Every citizen in Uttarakhand feels that there is no justice in the state. The Ankita Bhandari case shook the entire country, but she has not gotten justice to this day. Audio clips of people associated with the BJP surfaced in connection with the case and the name of a VIP also came up," Selja said.
"We are being pacified with this rattle that the CBI is investigating, but the CBI has never investigated all angles of the case. The VIP whose name came up -- Dushyant Gautam -- was never even questioned. Instead, he is being seated in the Raj Bhavan, on a throne, so that no legal action can be taken against him," she alleged.
Why is the BJP government protecting him and why is the CBI silent, she asked.
"Ankita's parents staged a sit-in at India Gate, they were detained. Whoever raises voice for justice is detained, while those who are guilty are bestowed with a crown," the Congress leader said.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wrote to President Droupadi Murmu last week to ask the government to reconsider Gautam's appointment as a governor till the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concludes its probe into the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
In his letter to the president, the former Congress chief said he is writing to her as a "last resort" as she has the right to warn the government and ask it to reconsider the advice to appoint Gautam as a governor.
Gautam was appointed the governor of Sikkim last week and took the oath of office on Monday.