Dehradun, Oct 17 The Congress on Saturday held a candle march here to protest the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Gautam as Sikkim governor, alleging that it raises questions amid a CBI investigation into the alleged ‘VIP’ angle in the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari.
The march, led by Congress general secretary and state in-charge Kumari Selja and state unit president Ganesh Godiyal, began at the state party headquarters on Rajpur Road, passed through Ghantaghar and returned to the starting point.
Protesters raised slogans demanding the cancellation of Gautam’s appointment and justice for Ankita, a 19-year-old receptionist at a resort in Uttarakhand whose body was found near Rishikesh in September 2022.
Former chief minister Harish Rawat, Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Yashpal Arya, and other leaders of the Uttarakhand Congress, including Mahila Congress president Jyoti Rautela, and several legislators and former MLAs participated in the march.
Gautam’s appointment has triggered fresh political controversy, with opposition parties alleging that he was the ‘VIP’ whose role is under scrutiny in the case. The allegations have not been established.
On Friday, Ankita’s parents met senior officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has registered a case against unknown persons to investigate the alleged role of a ‘VIP’ in the murder, officials said.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recommended a CBI inquiry in January this year on the demand of Ankita’s parents after audio and video clips purportedly indicating the involvement of a ‘VIP’ circulated on social media.
The clips were circulated by actress Urmila Sanawar, who has claimed to be the wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore.
Ankita was murdered by resort owner Pulkit Arya and two of his employees, all of whom have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
(PTI News)
