‘Power to detain is not power to silence’: Tharoor on detention of Ankita Bhandari's parents

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday criticised the Centre over the detention of the parents of Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, asking whether the government was using detention to silence those demanding accountability.

The parents of the 19-year-old were detained around 4 am while protesting near India Gate against Dushyant Kumar Gautam's appointment as Sikkim governor. They were released around 5 am, according to sources.

In a statement, Tharoor said young people exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest had been placed in judicial custody, while Ankita's grieving parents had been detained along with Congress workers who stood in solidarity with them.

“Has the government so completely abandoned its duty of accountability that it now relies on detention to silence those who demand it?” he asked.

Tharoor said a protester was not an offender and a grieving parent was not a threat. He questioned what threat peaceful protesters posed to public order and what purpose was served by detaining bereaved parents seeking justice.

“The power to detain is not the power to silence. The demand for justice does not end at the gates of a police station. Nor does the courage to speak out disappear at the threat of arrest,” he said.

Ankita's father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Centre to cancel Gautam's appointment, warning that a nationwide agitation would be launched if the demand was not accepted. The family wants the appointment put on hold until the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case is completed.

Several Congress leaders, including Pawan Khera, Imran Pratapgarhi, Supriya Shrinate and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib, were also detained and later released.

Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on 18 September 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The case also drew attention over allegations that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime. Ankita's family and activists have demanded an investigation into this alleged VIP angle, with Gautam's name raised in connection with the allegations. Gautam has denied the accusations and initiated defamation proceedings against those making them.

The Congress has alleged that Gautam's appointment could shield him from criminal proceedings while he holds the constitutional office of governor. These claims remain allegations; Gautam has denied wrongdoing.