‘Warped mentality of protecting criminals’: Rahul targets BJP over Ankita Bhandari case

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday targeted the BJP over its handling of the 2022 murder of 19-year-old Uttarakhand resort receptionist Ankita Bhandari, saying her family was still awaiting complete justice four years later.

Gandhi said he had met Bhandari’s family two days earlier and alleged that they were still awaiting complete justice four years after her death.

“Four years have passed, but even today they are waiting for justice for an unforgivable crime against their daughter,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha wrote in a Hindi post on X.

Bhandari worked as a receptionist at the Vanantara Resort in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district. She was reported missing in September 2022, and her body was subsequently recovered from the Chilla canal.

Investigators found that she had been killed after refusing pressure from her employer to provide “special services” to an unidentified VIP guest staying at the resort.

Gandhi said the post-mortem examination had revealed evidence of physical violence and drowning.

He also questioned the demolition of Bhandari’s room at the resort before investigators could properly examine it, describing the action as suspicious.

“The most shameful aspect of this tragic case is that the state government itself continues to protect that ‘VIP’ to this day. Why?” Gandhi asked.

He alleged that the person was being shielded because of links with the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The Congress leader did not provide evidence supporting the allegation or identify the individual.

Gandhi described the alleged protection of the unidentified guest as reflecting what he called the BJP’s “warped mentality” of granting political cover to those accused or convicted of crimes against women.

He further accused the party of defending sexual offenders and publicly honouring convicted criminals, saying such conduct reflected a broader disregard for women’s dignity and safety.

“India cannot move forward until this inhuman mentality that treats women as objects for men’s use is eradicated,” Gandhi said.

The country could progress only when women were assured respect, security, equality and justice, he added.

Bhandari’s murder triggered widespread demonstrations across Uttarakhand and intensified scrutiny of the state government’s handling of the investigation.

Police arrested three people in connection with the killing, including resort owner Pulkit Arya. The accused were subsequently convicted of murder.

With PTI inputs