Delhi: “The voice for justice cannot be silenced; the struggle cannot be stopped,” Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi posted in support of Ankita Bhandari’s parents.
Police arrested Ankita Bhandari’s parents, who had been protesting against the appointment of Dushyant Gautam, who is linked to the Ankita Bhandari murder case, as the Governor of Sikkim. Condemning this, Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi said this in a social media post he shared.
The murder and the background:
Vinod Arya was a senior BJP leader in Uttarakhand. He was a former minister in the state. His son, Pulkit Arya, owned a luxury resort near Rishikesh.
Ankita Bhandari worked there as a receptionist. She went missing on September 18, 2022. Ankita’s father and the resort owner, Pulkit Arya, filed a police complaint saying that she had gone to work as usual but had not returned home.
Police investigations revealed that Ankita was murdered by Pulkit Arya. Following this, the police arrested three people, including Pulkit Arya and two hotel employees. The police also recovered Ankita’s body. Some parts of the luxury resort were demolished on the orders of the state Chief Minister. Pulkit Arya and his accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Controversial VVIP connection:
From the very beginning of this murder case, Ankita’s family members and social activists have been alleging that Dushyant Kumar Gautam, the former national general secretary of the BJP, was linked to it.
In this context, Dushyant Kumar Gautam was announced as the Governor of Sikkim on October 12 last year. Protesting against this, Ankita Bhandari’s parents have been staging a protest at Delhi’s India Gate area. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi met them in person last night.
Meanwhile, Ankita Bhandari’s parents were arrested early this morning. Reports later said that they were released.
Condemning their arrest, Rahul Gandhi said on his X page, “At 4 a.m., while everyone was asleep, Ankita Bhandari’s parents were taken into custody. Their crime? Sitting peacefully at India Gate and protesting to demand that Dushyant Gautam should not be made the Governor of Sikkim until the CBI investigation is completed!
Yesterday, Priyanka and I met Ankita’s parents. They had only one question: why this hurry to appoint Gautam as Governor before the investigation is even over? But isn’t silencing the voices of victims who ask questions the style of this government?”
However, the voice for justice cannot be silenced, and the struggle for justice will not cease. The Congress party stands with Ankita Bhandari’s family. It will stand with them until they get justice.” he posted.
