Silent march to Raj Bhawan by ‘Ankita Nyaya Yatra Sanyukt Sangharsh Manch’
Silent march to Raj Bhawan by ‘Ankita Nyaya Yatra Sanyukt Sangharsh Manch’
Dehradun, Feb 26
A silent march from Gandhi Park to Raj Bhavan under the banner of the ‘Ankita Nyaya Yatra Sanyukt Sangharsh Manch’ was organised here today in which women, youth, ex-servicemen activists, and representatives of various other organizations participated.
More than 200 people participated in the silent march from Gandhi Park to Raj Bhavan in protest against the alleged ‘undemocratic and unconstitutional actions’ of the Governor. Kamala Pant, Convenor of the manch stated that this silent march was held to raise public awareness about the government’s attitude towards giving justice to Ankita Bhandari. She further said that the Manch wanted to meet the Governor, to convey the public sentiments and present a memorandum to the President through him.
She charged that through Brigadier Sarvesh Dangwal (retd) of the Manch three phone calls were made and two emails were sent requesting an appointment with the Governor but there was no response. “It was in protest against the Governor’s attitude that the Sanyukt Sangharsh Manch decided to organize this silent march to Raj Bhavan”, she charged.
She said that even a small delegation which wanted to submit a memorandum for onward transmission to the President of India was not allowed to go to the raj bhawan by the police.
“We are saddened and angered that the Governor has disregarded his democratic constitutional responsibility and behaved like an agent of the BJP government. This is an insult to Ankita, who was murdered, her parents, and the people of Uttarakhand who raised their voice against this atrocity,” she added.
A 40-page representation with hundreds of signatures has been sent directly to the President. Following the silent march, youth under the direction of Sujata Paul also gave voice to the public’s anger and demand through a street play. It was also announced that ‘Nyaya Panchayats’ will now be held in every district headquarters, city, and block headquarters, starting in Gairsain during the budget session of the monsoon session next month.
The participants expressed anger at the attitude of the state government in getting an FIR registered through Dr Anil Joshi, a close ally of ruling dispensation and getting the CBI probe on that very FIR. They demanded that the CBI probe should only be held under the supervision of a sitting Supreme Court judge as demanded by the parents of the deceased.
