Ankita Bhandari Case: Congress Demands Resignation Of CM Dhami

New Delhi: Taking its attack on the BJP government in Uttarakhand over the high-profile 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case to the next level, Congress on Saturday asked the ruling dispensation why it couldn't provide justice to the victim in the last three years. Alleging that the BJP government has lost people's trust, the grand old party demanded the resignation of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over the matter.

This comes in the wake of Dhami's approval for the Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) probe into the matter on Friday, ays after Ankita's parents met him and urged for the same, following intense political debate and protests across the state.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, All India Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba said, "This is a very serious issue related to the fight for justice of Ankita Bhandari, the daughter of Uttarakhand, who was working at the resort of BJP leader Vinod Arya."

Narrating a chronology of the incident, she said, "It had been less than a month since Ankita Bhandari started her job when, on September 18, 2022, she was pressured to provide unethical services to VIP guests, which she refused. She was murdered afterwards, and her body was thrown into a canal."

"In this case, nothing was done from September 19 to 22, 2022, except filing a missing person's report. Then, on September 23, local BJP MLA Renu Bisht, on the instructions of Chief Minister Dhami, got a bulldozer run on that resort," Lamba said.

She alleged that the clear purpose of running the bulldozer was to destroy all evidence from the resort, because Ankita lived in that very resort. "On September 24, Ankita's body was recovered from the canal, and her parents refused to perform the last rites. When the case gained momentum, BJP leader Vinod Arya's son Pulkit Arya, Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankit Gupta were arrested," she added.

The Mahila Congress chief further said, "After this arrest, the public took to the streets. When pressure was mounted on the Chief Minister, an SIT was formed, and the investigation was handed over to it in October 2022. In this case, three accused were sentenced to life imprisonment, but the VIP, for whom Ankita was pressured to provide services, remains unknown."

Lamba, who has been demanding justice for the victim, has also posed a volley of questions to the ruling dispensation over the matter. "If (Narendra) Modi ji can implement demonetisation in one day, then why can't they deliver justice in three years? Why was a bulldozer run on the resort by the local BJP MLA without a judicial order? Why was the identity of the VIP not made public by the SIT? Did any VIP's name come up in the entire investigation by the SIT? If yes, then who was it? If the VIP was not involved, then why was there no denial of this?" she asked.

Lamba also asked whether women's safety schemes do not apply to "power-protected institutions" and is the life of a daughter from a poor family is less valuable. "What is the guarantee that the accused in this case will not be released from jail, and when will action be taken against those who destroy evidence? After all, who in this case are the political people protecting?" she questioned.

Citing the party's demands over the matter, she said, "We demand an independent investigation of the VIP angle, action against those who ordered to destroy evidence, accountability be fixed for those providing political protection, and CBI should take the case to its conclusion within six months without pressure and with impartiality."

Additionally, she demanded strict compliance with safety laws in women's workplaces. "BJP people should show morality. They should keep the criminals associated with the case away from the judicial process, so that action can be taken with impartiality and Ankita can get justice. We will continue to fight for justice," she said.

Vaibhav Walia, secretary of Congress's communications department, referred to Ankita's case and some incidents that occurred in Uttarakhand in recent days, including the alleged killing of Tripura student Anjel Chakma, to demand the resignation of Dhami. "It has been three years since Ankita Bhandari's murder, but the name of the VIP involved has not come to light. After people took to the streets demanding a CBI probe, only then was the approval given," he added.

Meanwhile, Congress Uttarakhand unit president Ganesh Godiyal questioned why the state government has not made public the terms of reference to the Centre for the CBI probe. "When a CBI investigation has been recommended, why is the state government not making public the terms of reference it has sent to the Central government? It is no secret that the government has been trying to suppress and divert the investigation from the very first day, which continues even now. This will be seen in time to come as an insult to the women of Uttarakhand and a question mark on the state's integrity," added.

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