‘Justice for Ankita’ march to CM’s House in Dehradun on Sunday

Public unrest over the Ankita Bhandari murder case continues to simmer in ‘Devbhoomi’ ( abode of gods) Uttarakhand. Three years after the 19-year-old teenager’s body was recovered and despite the conviction of some of the accused to life-imprisonment in May, 2025, protests have refused to die down.

Fresh disclosures that hint at involvement of a VIP or VIPs who the teenager was being pressurised to get sexually intimate with have triggered another wave of disgust and demand for a CBI inquiry, which was turned down by both the high court and the Supreme Court earlier.

Recurrent protests, demonstrations and candle lit vigils were held in different districts on Wednesday, 31 December, 2025. Congress too took out a march with its national secretary (Communications) Vaibhav Walia in attendance.

On Saturday, 3 January, 2026 too, the protests continued and large number of women came out to attend a march in Srinagar led by PKPCC chief Ganesh Godiyal. They symbolise growing public frustration with law enforcement, governance and political entitlement and patronage in the state.    

The demand for a CBI probe under the supervision of the judiciary into allegations that senior BJP leaders were involved in the teenager’s killing is once again gaining ground. On Sunday, 4 January, 2026 Uttarakhand Mahila Manch and civil society groups have called upon people to march to the chief minister’s residence in Dehradun. The demonstration is expected to see the teenager’s family members attend it.

“People believe that justice has been denied. The fact that Ankita was killed for refusing to provide ‘special services’ for a VIP is openly acknowledged. This was also noted by the judge who sentenced the accused to life imprisonment.

Since the probe did not involve the VIP angle, there is a deep sense of injustice and injury that justice has not been served,” said Indresh Maikhuri, central committee member and secretary of the Uttarakhand unit of the CPI(ML-Liberation).

The Indian Express in a report quoted advocate Chandrakala of the Uttarakhand Mahila Manch as saying, “Ankita’s room in the resort was bulldozed right after the incident. Pieces of evidence, including a bedsheet in her room, her phone and that of the main accused, were never recovered.

We had insisted that Renu Bisht, the area MLA who ordered the bulldozing, be made an accused, but that did not materialise”.  The prosecution had indicated the presence of a VIP. The prosecution said the chats, from the time Bhandari joined the resort until the date of the incident, showed she was disturbed by the accused’s behaviour and “their obscene proposals” for “extra services”, prompting her to want to leave.

Aquib Quraishi, an activist, said from Dehradun that the entire state is outraged and is rooting for closure. Anger erupted after former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore’s wife, Urmila Sanawar, claimed that a VIP who sought sexual favours from Bhandari was a senior leader called “Gattu”.

She released an audio clip in which Rathore purportedly identified the VIPs as BJP functionaries. Rathore later claimed the clip was AI-generated and accused Sanawar of defaming the party. Both BJP leaders have denied their involvement.

One of the two BJP leaders, Dushyant Gautam, promised to retire from public life if allegations are proved. He also demanded removal of defamatory contest directed at him from social media. The secretary of the state Scheduled Caste Commission also wrote to the Director General of Police demanding action against those who had defamed Gautam.

A state minister Subodh Uniyal addressed the media to claim that the campaign for justice for Ankita was just a propaganda by the opposition and had no leg to stand on.

Quraishi says that if the government has nothing to hide and if the BJP leaders are innocent, why not recommend a CBI probe under the supervision of a high court judge? What about those within the BJP who are demanding justice for Ankita?

Former BJP chief minister and the current MP from MP Haridwar Trivendra Singh Rawat has been demanding a probe and suitable action against the culprits. So, why call the campaign an opposition propaganda? A four-term MLA and former BJP minister Vijaya Barthial too is in favour of a CBI probe.

There have also been a spate of resignations from the BJP during the last fortnight as ‘Justice for Ankita’ campaign gathered steam during the last fortnight. Those who resigned from the BJP include Kiran Sharma, Ankit Bahukhandi and Arti Gaur.

The last named’s resignation is significant because Rathore had claimed in the audio clip that Gaur had a number of audio and video clips featuring BJP leaders. Urmila Sanawar had also claimed that Gaur was the one who had ordered Ankita’s room to be bulldozed the night she went missing.