Gangtok, Oct 17 The BJP’s Sikkim unit on Saturday backed the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the state’s governor while stating that the Ankita Bhandari murder case must be allowed to proceed independently.
The BJP statement came amid allegations by opposition parties that Gautam, a senior saffron party leader, was the “VIP” who sought favours from Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old hotel receptionist in Uttarakhand, before she was killed in 2022.
The BJP stated that the investigation into the murder case should not be prejudiced or politicised and called for respect for the rule of law and the judicial process.
In a statement, the party said it acknowledged the latest development in the case, in which senior CBI officials met Bhandari’s parents on Friday and assured them of a fair and impartial probe. The central agency is investigating the matter.
“We express our heartfelt solidarity with Ankita Bhandari’s family and recognise their continued pursuit of truth and justice,” the party said, adding that the concerns of her bereaved parents deserved to be addressed with compassion, dignity and seriousness.
The party described the assurance from the CBI as an important step towards reinforcing public confidence in the investigation and said all outstanding questions, including those concerning the alleged VIP angle, should be examined objectively and thoroughly on the basis of evidence.
“Justice must remain above political considerations. The investigation must be allowed to proceed independently, with due regard for the family’s concerns, the principles of natural justice and the presumption of innocence,” the statement said.
The BJP said it respected the constitutional process and extended its best wishes to the Governor-designate.
“We sincerely hope that the investigation brings clarity to all outstanding questions and provides Ankita Bhandari’s family with the answers they seek,” the party’s Media Cell said in the statement.
Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Urmila Sanawar, an actress who claimed to be the wife of a legislator, had alleged the involvement of a ‘VIP’ in the murder. Bhandari’s family and activists have called for an investigation into this angle, with Gautam’s name being raised in connection with the allegations.
Gautam has denied the allegations and initiated defamation proceedings against those making them.
In a letter to President Droupadi Murmu recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that no criminal proceedings can be instituted or continued against a governor and appointing Gautam as governor places him “out of reach” of the CBI, which is probing the case.
(PTI News)
