News Desk: The parents of Ankita Bhandari were detained by Delhi Police at around 4 am on Thursday during a sit-in protest at India Gate against the appointment of former Uttarakhand BJP in-charge Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim. They were released later in the day.
The family has demanded that Gautam’s appointment be put on hold until the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged VIP angle in Ankita’s murder is completed. The 19-year-old receptionist was murdered in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district in September 2022.
Ankita’s mother said the family would continue its fight for justice and threatened to begin a hunger strike at home if authorities did not allow them to protest. Her father issued a 24-hour ultimatum, demanding that Gautam’s appointment be cancelled. He warned that people across the country could take to the streets if the government failed to act.
On Wednesday evening, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met Ankita’s parents near India Gate and joined their protest. Rahul Gandhi later criticised the BJP, alleging that a person linked to the alleged VIP angle was receiving protection instead of the family getting justice.
Congress leaders Supriya Shrinate, Pawan Khera and Kazi Nizamuddin also condemned the police action. Activist Yogita Bhayana joined the protest, while the family appealed to President Droupadi Murmu to intervene and ensure a thorough investigation into all allegations related to the case.
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke also criticised the detention, calling the treatment of Ankita’s parents unacceptable.
Ankita worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh. She was murdered on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were convicted in the case.
The demand for a fresh investigation into the alleged VIP angle gained momentum after an audio clip was released by actress Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore. The recording allegedly contains a conversation referring to a BJP leader’s involvement, though the claims remain unproven.
Following protests, the Uttarakhand government ordered a CBI investigation in January. Gautam has denied any connection to the murder and filed legal complaints against people and organisations linking him to the case. The Delhi High Court has also directed the removal of social media posts connecting him to the crime, observing that the allegations appeared prima facie defamatory.
The investigation into the alleged VIP angle remains central to the family’s demand for justice.
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