Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi govt over detention of Ankita’s parents

• Rahul Gandhi attacks Modi government, accuses it of silencing victims after Ankita Bhandari’s parents are detained during a protest at India Gate

• Ankita’s father demands the cancellation of Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor, threatening nationwide protests

• The family seeks a CBI probe into the alleged VIP angle in Ankita’s 2022 murder. Gautam denies the allegations and has initiated defamation proceedings

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government over the detention of Ankita Bhandari’s parents during a protest near India Gate in New Delhi, alleging that the administration was attempting to silence victims and those demanding accountability.

The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the parents of 19-year-old Ankita, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, were detained while peacefully seeking justice for their daughter. He criticised the government for the timing of the detention and questioned the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim governor while the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged VIP angle in the murder case remains ongoing.

Ankita’s parents were released around 5 am on Thursday, hours after being detained during the protest. Before his release, Ankita’s father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Centre, demanding that Gautam’s appointment be cancelled and warning of nationwide protests if the government failed to act.

In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said Ankita’s parents were taken into custody at around 4 am while they were sitting peacefully at India Gate, demanding that Gautam’s appointment be put on hold until the CBI investigation is completed.

“4 am in the morning. While the world was asleep, Ankita Bhandari's parents were taken into custody. Their crime? They were sitting quietly at India Gate - with burdened shoulders, without any commotion, and simply demanding that Dushyant Gautam should not be made the Governor of Sikkim until the CBI investigation is complete,” Rahul Gandhi wrote.

He also referred to his recent meeting with Ankita’s parents alongside Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, saying the appointment had proceeded before the investigation’s findings were available.

“Yesterday, Priyanka and I met these parents. Even before the results of that investigation came in, the appointment was rushed, and the parents asking questions were picked up in the dead of night,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi accused the government of suppressing voices seeking justice and accountability.

“This is the hallmark of this government: silence the voices of the victims, remove those who ask questions,” he said.

Asserting that the family’s fight would continue, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress stood with Ankita’s parents and would remain with them until they received justice. He also used the hashtag ‘Justice For Ankita Bhandari’ in his post.

The detention triggered further political criticism, with Ankita’s father warning that the family would launch a nationwide agitation unless the Centre cancelled Gautam’s appointment within 24 hours.

“We give a 24-hour ultimatum to the government for the cancellation of Dushyant's appointment. Nationwide protests will be launched if the government does not accept our demand,” he told PTI Videos.

According to sources, Ankita’s parents were released at around 5 am on Thursday.

Several Congress leaders who participated in the protest were also detained and later released. They included Pawan Khera, head of the Congress media and publicity department; party MP Imran Pratapgarhi; Supriya Shrinate, head of the party’s social media department; and Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib.

The family has been demanding that Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor be put on hold until the CBI completes its investigation into the alleged VIP connection in the murder case.

Ankita’s family and activists have repeatedly called for a thorough investigation into the alleged involvement of an unidentified VIP in the crime. Gautam’s name has surfaced in allegations made by the family and activists concerning the alleged VIP connection.

However, these allegations do not establish his involvement in the murder. Gautam has denied the accusations and initiated defamation proceedings against those who have made them.

The Congress has questioned the timing of Gautam’s appointment, alleging that it could shield him from potential legal action. The party has argued that a governor cannot be subjected to criminal proceedings while holding office and has demanded that the appointment be reconsidered until the investigation is complete.

Gautam, a former national general secretary of the BJP, previously served as the party’s in-charge for Uttarakhand. His appointment as Sikkim governor has renewed political debate over the unresolved questions raised by Ankita’s family.

Ankita Bhandari was 19 years old and worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, when she was murdered on 18 September 2022.

Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. The murder sparked widespread public outrage and protests across Uttarakhand, with demands for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.

Resort owner Pulkit Arya, the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Despite the convictions, the alleged involvement of an unidentified VIP became a major point of public and political controversy. Ankita’s family and activists have continued to demand an investigation into this aspect of the case, arguing that the circumstances surrounding the alleged VIP connection require further scrutiny.

The detention of Ankita’s parents and the subsequent criticism from Rahul Gandhi have brought renewed attention to the family’s demands. With her father issuing a 24-hour ultimatum to the Centre, the dispute over Gautam’s appointment and the ongoing CBI investigation has intensified the political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP.

With PTI inputs