Protest against Uttarakhand BJP general secretary incharge by those seeking justice for Ankita Bhandari
Protest against Uttarakhand BJP general secretary incharge by those seeking justice for Ankita Bhandari
Dehradun. May 29
The members of the Ankita Bhandari Nyaya Sangharash Samiti staged a protest against BJP State general secretary In-charge Dushyant Gautam who was in Dehradun along with party’s national President Nitin Nabeen today. The samiti fighting to get justice for Ankita Bhandari staged a demonstration outside Gandhi Park. The protesters attempted to march to the hotel where Dushyant Gautam is staying, but were prevented by a heavy police force from moving. In response, the protesters sat down on the road and blocked traffic.
Ankita Bhandari was murdered by a resort owner, son of a RSS leader where she worked for her refusal to allegedly provide “special services” to VIP guests of the resort. her body was dumped in the canal, Three accused who were sentenced in the case are in jail.
Following the emergence of Dushyant Gautam’s and Ajay Kumar’s names in connection with the Ankita Bhandari case, a wave of protests had swept across Uttarakhand, including Dehradun. Subsequently, the Chief Minister had called for the case to be investigated by the CBI. Addressing the protesters, Nirmala Bisht stated that if the entire state of Uttarakhand views these two individuals as accused in Ankita’s case, then why is the government treating them with such deference? Furthermore, she questioned why the CBI has not even subjected them to any questioning. Kamala Pant remarked that while the CBI typically becomes active within three days of an investigation being ordered into the murder of a woman in Madhya Pradesh, while three months have elapsed in Ankita’s case in Uttarakhand, yet the agency remains silent. Sujata Paul asserted that, given the government’s brazenness, it appears that the heads of both the State and Central governments are colluding to shield these “VIP accused” individuals involved in this murder case. Trilochan Bhatt expressed deep anguish over the fact that certain women within the BJP are seen—dressed up and adorned—welcoming these accused VIPs. He argued that they ought to be ashamed of themselves. Brigadier Dangwal (retd) declared that the protest would not cease until justice is delivered to Ankita. The protesters maintained that Dushyant Gautam and Ajay Kumar should have been removed from their respective posts pending the completion of the CBI investigation—a step that, they noted, was never taken.
They further pointed out that, following the widespread sit-ins and demonstrations across the state, Dushyant Gautam had previously refrained from visiting Uttarakhand, and his photographs had even been conspicuously absent from the party’s banners and hoardings. However, Dushyant has suddenly become active in light of the party’s National President’s visit to Dehradun. Yesterday, hoardings featuring him were put up at several locations, only to be subsequently removed. Nevertheless, he remains firmly entrenched in Dehradun—displaying an air of complete defiance—and continues to participate in various events.
When the protesters attempted to advance toward the hotel, the police blocked their path. This led to a heated altercation between the protesters and the police. Following the police’s forceful intervention, the protesters staged a sit-in on the road, creating a symbolic blockade. Consequently, traffic on Rajpur Road came to a standstill for some time.
The protesters issued a stern warning that if Dushyant Gautam and Ajay Kumar do not leave Uttarakhand immediately, a large number of people will take to the streets to launch an aggressive agitation.
Present on this occasion were Kamala Pant, Nirmala Bisht, Manish, Raju Singh, Vimala Kohli, Uma Bhatt, Mohit Dimri, Tushar Rawat, Hariom Pali, Sujata Paul, Trilochan Bhatt, Brigadier Sarvesh Dangwal (retd), Ishwar Pal Sharma, Pankaj Kshetri, Prof. Raghavendra, Shakuntala, Maheshwari, and others.
