Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi joined the parents of Ankita Bhandari at their sit-in at the India Gate, accompanied by activist Yogita Bhayana, in protest against the appointment of former BJP in-charge of Uttarakhand, Dushyant Gautam, as Governor of Sikkim, who faces accusations of being the “VIP” linked to the 2022 murder case.
Gandhi was accompanied by his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other Congress leaders.
Bhayana shared a photo of her at the sit-in along with Bhandari’s parents in a post on X and wrote: “We are still at India Gate, the family's demand is that the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam be immediately halted until the CBI investigation is complete!!”
The activist said that Ankita’s parents have been forced to leave their home in the mountains and come to Delhi because “their daughter’s killer has been promoted to governor who is the prime accused — the ‘VIP’”.
She also alleged a series of actions aimed at “hiding the VIP’s involvement”, including the demolition of the resort where the crime took place and the tampering of the victim’s call records.
Bhayana also referred to the statements of a woman, who had initially alleged a “VIP’s” involvement in the crime, and claimed that her allegations weren’t properly investigated.
“This is the time of Navaratri when mothers and daughters are worshipped. But here, in a mother’s fight for justice for her daughter, a crime-accused is directly promoted to governor”, the activist said.
Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist, was killed on September 18, 2022, at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh. Her body was discovered four days later at the Chilla canal.
Resort owner Pulkit Arya, who is the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were later arrested for the murder and were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the second wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, had sparked controversy after she released videos and audio recordings of her alleged conversations with Rathore, alleging that the “VIP” in the Ankita Bhandari murder case was a person named “Gattu”.
In another video post, Sanawar had alleged that Gattu was a top BJP leader in Uttarakhand.
Rathore, who was expelled from the BJP, has rejected the charge, claiming that his voice was generated using AI and that the audios were being widely circulated to tarnish his political image.
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Uttarakhand Congress on Tuesday protested against the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the new governor of Sikkim, alleging his name had cropped up in the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
Party workers led by state Congress committee president Ganesh Godiyal observed one-hour silence in front of the Gandhi statue at Gandhi Park in Dehradun against his appointment.
Before the one-hour protest, Godiyal alleged that the appointment is a direct attempt to save Gautam, as no case can be registered against a governor.
"The appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the governor of Sikkim hurts the sentiments of all residents of Uttarakhand... This is a dictatorial attempt to tell the people of Uttarakhand that any decision will be taken and citizens cannot do anything," Godiyal said, while targeting the BJP leadership.
Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja also took to social media to question the decision to appoint Gautam as governor.
"The BJP government has appointed the very VIP -- whose name is being cited by Ankita Bhandari's parents as they plead for justice for their daughter -- to a constitutional post like that of a governor. Ideally, the CBI investigation should have proceeded rapidly, and an FIR should have been registered against the named accused; instead, the BJP government appointed him governor, Selja said.
Without naming anyone, senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said, "The individual whom Uttarakhand is seeking -- regarding him as a criminal and aiming to bring him within the reach of the law -- is a prominent figure in the Ankita murder case. Now, one would have to travel far to the rugged terrains of the Purvanchal region to locate him. While our reach may not extend that far, the punishment for the crime committed is inevitable. Sooner or later, justice will be served."
Uttarakhand BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan later in the day questioned Congress's silence over Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam being accused of sexual harassment by Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students.
Chauhan said, "Instead of observing a silent fast over a fabricated issue, state Congress leaders should raise their voices in protest before Rahul and Priyanka.
"Why are they shielding an MP who exploited meritorious female students? State Congress leaders do not need to sit on silent fasts regarding crimes against women; instead, they should go to Delhi and raise their voices in protest before their high command," he said.
He added that the state Congress leaders should ask Sonia Gandhi when action will be taken against the MP, who is also a professor at JNU, accused of sexually exploiting 11 students.