Rahul, Priyanka Meet Ankita Bhandari's Family at India Gate Ahead of Uttarakhand Polls
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the parents of Ankita Bhandari near India Gate in New Delhi, extending solidarity as the family staged a dharna. Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at a resort in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, was found murdered in September 2022. While three men, including resort owner Pulkit Arya, were convicted, the family continues to demand a thorough probe into the alleged involvement of a VIP. The latest flashpoint follows the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor, with the victim's parents demanding his punishment and alleging his involvement in the case. The parents also criticised the pace and direction of the Central Bureau of Investigation probe, seeking examination of technical evidence like call records. The political outreach comes ahead of the Uttarakhand assembly elections, returning the high-profile case to the national spotlight.
Meerut Blue Drum Murder Case: Muskaan Rastogi, Sahil Shukla Get Death Sentence After 13-Month Trial
A Meerut court has sentenced convicts Muskaan Rastogi and her friend Sahil Shukla to death for the murder of Muskaan's husband, Saurabh Rajput. Pronouncing the sentence, the judge invoked the Mahabharata, stating that punishment is also dharma. The verdict concluded a 13-month trial involving 126 hearings and testimony from 22 prosecution witnesses. Both accused were convicted of murder, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence after Rajput's dismembered body was sealed in layers of cement inside a blue drum. On India First, former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Dr. Vikram Singh termed the ruling appropriate and an essential deterrent against diabolical crimes, cautioning against any leniency. Conversely, senior Supreme Court advocate Colin Gonsalves expressed scepticism regarding whether the case meets the threshold for rarest of the rare, suggesting the capital sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment by superior courts.
India First: Dr. Vikram Singh & Collin Goncalves debate Neela Drum murder
On India First, former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Dr. Vikram Singh and Supreme Court Senior Advocate Collin Goncalves debate capital punishment and deterrence in the brutal Neela Drum murder case. Discussing the conviction of Muskan and Sahil, Dr. Vikram Singh backs the death penalty, asserting, 'Bina dand ke rajya adhikar nahin chalta hai, and to show any iota, even an iota of mercy to Muskan and Sahil would be a miscarriage of justice.' He highlights how the destruction of evidence and the gruesome hacking of the victim's body shocked the conscience of the nation, categorizing it as rarest of rare. Conversely, Collin Goncalves argues that academic research shows capital punishment is not an effective deterrent and predicts the superior court may commute the sentence to life imprisonment. Emphasizing judicial timelines, Dr. Singh notes that swift punishment under BNSS is vital because justice delayed is justice denied.
SIR Storm: Infiltrators vs Vote Chori Row Escalates Between BJP and Congress| Watch Panelists Debate
On India First with Gaurav, Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari clashed with Congress national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, alongside political analysts Ashutosh and Rajat Sethi, over allegations of voter deletions and infiltrators. Defending the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, Bhandari cited official data to argue that crores of deceased, duplicate, and relocated entries were removed from voter lists, stating, 'why are you backing the dead voters?' He accused the opposition of defending bogus rolls and illegal infiltrators. In response, Kakkar hit back at the government, asserting that the administration lacks verified data identifying actual infiltrators and accused the ruling party of deploying divisive rhetoric and manipulating booth targets. Meanwhile, Ashutosh recalled past electoral history to counter claims of historic defeats, while Rajat Sethi demanded uniform support for verification mechanisms like the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The panel debated institutional integrity, Election Commission actions, and the credibility of electoral lists.