Ankita Bhandari case, Rekha Arya-Sahu row embarrass BJP ahead of assembly polls

Ankita Bhandari case, Rekha Arya-Sahu row embarrass BJP ahead of assembly polls

S.M.A. KAZMI

Dehradun, October 16: Two controversies involving women have triggered protests and political sparring in Uttarakhand, putting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under pressure barely three months before the Assembly elections. While the murder of Ankita Bhandari has returned to the national spotlight following the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor, a police complaint filed by state Women Empowerment and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya against her husband has sparked a separate political storm.

The two controversies have given the opposition Congress and other political groups fresh ammunition to target the BJP government, with protests reported at several places across the state over the past two days.

The murder of Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort who was killed three years ago, has resurfaced as a major political issue amid renewed demands for justice. She was murdered after allegedly refusing to provide special services to a VIP guest, according to the allegations surrounding the case.

The controversy intensified last year when the wife of a former BJP legislator alleged that the VIP referred to in the case was Dushyant Kumar Gautam, then the BJP’s national general secretary in charge of Uttarakhand. Following public outrage, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, and a fresh FIR was registered. However, no significant progress in the investigation has been reported since then.

Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor has now reignited the controversy, with opposition parties and activists alleging that the move could shield him from prosecution. These allegations have not been established, and the investigation remains a central demand of the protesters.

The case acquired national prominence after Ankita’s elderly parents staged a sit-in at India Gate in New Delhi, demanding justice for their daughter. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the protesters, who were surrounded by hundreds of young people late into the night. Delhi Police subsequently took the protesters to a police station. Later, the BJP did try to do some damage control through their national media incharge Anil Baluni, who is also Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha MP, the native place of Ankita Bhandari, who took her parents to the office of the CBI, New Delhi,

The developments in the national capital triggered protests in Uttarakhand. Senior Congress leaders staged a dharna outside Raj Bhawan, seeking permission to submit a memorandum to the Governor. They were detained on Thursday, and cases were registered against them.

Meanwhile, social organisations, civil society groups and Left parties staged a protest at Gandhi Park in Dehradun on Friday, demanding justice for Ankita and an investigation into the allegations and counter-allegations involving Rekha Arya and her husband, including claims of large-scale corruption.

Indresh Maikhuri, secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), said the two controversies had exposed what he described as the gap between the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) claims of women’s empowerment and the reality on the ground.

Members of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) also staged a protest in Srinagar, Garhwal, demanding justice for Ankita.

Uttarakhand Congress in-charge and general secretary led a two-wheeler rally demanding justice for Ankita. Suryakant Dhasmana, vice-president of the Uttarakhand Congress, criticised the appointment of Gautam as Governor, alleging that it would provide him with legal immunity.

“It is unfortunate that the ruling BJP/RSS has rubbed salt into the wounds of Uttarakhand by appointing Dushyant Gautam as Governor to provide him legal immunity. This not only exposes the BJP but also shows the true character of the RSS,” Dhasmana said.

The second controversy centres on a police complaint filed by state Women Empowerment and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya against her husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, alias Pappu Girdhari. She has accused him of fraud, assault, casteist abuse and conspiring to kill her. Sahu, in turn, has levelled allegations of large-scale corruption against the minister.

A case was registered at Dehradun’s Cantt police station on Thursday.

According to the FIR, Arya married Sahu, a resident of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, on July 6, 2004, according to Hindu rituals. She alleged that he had misrepresented his marital status at the time of their marriage.

Girdhari Lal Sahu kept the complainant in deception at the time of marriage itself that he is unmarried, the complaint stated.

Arya alleged that she learnt a few years later that Sahu was already married and had children from his first marriage. She said she chose to remain silent on the advice of family members and in consideration of the future of her own children.

The minister further alleged that Sahu had relationships with other women. According to her complaint, he initially admitted his mistake and apologised both orally and in writing after she objected, but allegedly continued the relationships.

Arya claimed that when she opposed his alleged relationships, Sahu began assaulting and abusing her and threatening to kill her. She also alleged that he repeatedly used casteist slurs against her at her official residence, including in the presence of staff members.

In another allegation, the minister claimed that her signatures had been forged on documents purporting to show that she had resigned or retired from the post of director in certain companies, although she had not executed any such documents.

The most serious allegation concerns an audio recording that Arya claimed to have received recently. According to her, the recording captures Sahu discussing a conspiracy to kill her while speaking to a woman.

In a video message, Arya was seen crying as she spoke of threats to her life and the safety of her minor children. She also sought police protection.

Uttarakhand government has constituted a Special Investigative Team (SIT) to investigate the  matter.

In a video message, Sahu rejected the allegations against him, describing them as false. He claimed that he had played a significant role in Arya’s political rise, including her election as a legislator and appointment as a minister, but was now facing what he termed fabricated charges.

In a counter-allegation, Sahu claimed that Arya possessed assets worth more than Rs 200 crore, which he alleged had been accumulated through corruption. He further claimed that he had complained to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami about her alleged corruption and that the Chief Minister had reprimanded her.

Sahu threatened to make further disclosures unless Arya withdrew her FIR.

The allegations against the minister have not been independently established. The police investigation is expected to examine the competing claims. Arya has identified herself as belonging to a notified Scheduled Caste in Uttarakhand, a factor relevant to the allegations of casteist abuse.

The controversy has drawn sharp reactions from opposition leaders, who have linked the two cases to broader questions about women’s safety, accountability and the BJP’s claims of women’s empowerment.

Maikhuri said he had previously drawn the state government’s attention to what he described as Sahu’s criminal past, but alleged that his concerns had gone unheeded. He also pointed out that Arya had defended Gautam in connection with the Ankita Bhandari case but was now herself seeking protection and justice.

Dhasmana said the two controversies raised serious questions about the BJP’s approach to women’s safety.

“Both cases point to the fact that women are not safe under the BJP/RSS dispensation. Scores of cases in the past point towards the true character of the ruling BJP towards women. The allegations of corruption levelled by Girdhari Lal Sahu need a thorough investigation by independent agencies,” he said.

With the Assembly elections approaching, the two controversies have intensified the political debate in Uttarakhand. While protesters continue to demand justice for Ankita Bhandari, the allegations and counter-allegations involving a serving minister have added a new dimension to the opposition’s attack on the state government.