The parents of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, have launched a protest at India Gate in New Delhi. The demonstration comes amid rising tensions surrounding the recent appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim. The family, joined by supporters, is demanding that the appointment be stayed until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) concludes its probe into allegations linking the politician to the case.
Virendra Singh Bhandari, the father of the deceased, explicitly stated during the protest that Dushyant Kumar should be kept behind bars. He appealed to President Droupadi Murmu, urging her to intervene and prevent the former BJP leader from assuming the gubernatorial office while he remains under scrutiny. Soni Devi, the mother of the victim, echoed these sentiments, noting the deep pain caused to the family by the announcement of the appointment on October 12. She expressed hope that the President, as a woman, would empathize with their struggle for justice.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, visited the protest site at India Gate on Wednesday to express solidarity with the family. He was accompanied by Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress MP from Wayanad. This engagement follows a series of protests held by the Uttarakhand unit of the Congress party, which has been vocal in challenging the appointment of Gautam. The political atmosphere intensified as various opposition figures, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, questioned the silence of certain organizations regarding the case and highlighted the family's claim that a senior BJP leader was involved in the events leading up to the tragedy.
The backdrop to this current unrest is the brutal murder of Ankita Bhandari, who was working as a receptionist at the Vanantara resort in Rishikesh. Her disappearance and subsequent death in September 2022 sparked widespread outrage across the country. According to the state police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), the young woman was pressured to provide sexual services to guests. When she refused to comply, she was killed by the property’s manager, Pulkit Arya, who is the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya.
Following the discovery of her body on September 24, 2022, the investigation resulted in the conviction of Pulkit Arya on multiple charges, including murder, sexual harassment, and the destruction of evidence, alongside violations of the Immoral Trafficking Act. The case has remained a sensitive issue, with the family consistently alleging that the influence of high-ranking political figures hampered the pursuit of full justice.
The parents have maintained their demand for a more comprehensive investigation, suggesting that the "VIP" mentioned in the context of the harassment and murder remains at large or shielded. As the protest continues, the focus has shifted to whether the President’s office will acknowledge the request to delay the gubernatorial appointment. Currently, the family remains stationed at India Gate, awaiting a response to their plea, while political parties continue to use the platform to target the ruling party over allegations of shielding high-profile individuals in the state.
The ongoing demonstrations highlight the persistent demand for accountability in the case. As it stands, the family is pinning their hopes on the intervention of the highest office in the country, seeking to ensure that the legal process is not compromised by the appointment of a leader whose name has surfaced in connection with their daughter's death.
Comments