- Ankita’s parents detained protesting new Sikkim Governor’s appointment.
- They demand Gautam’s appointment revoked until CBI probe ends.
- Parents issued 24-hour ultimatum, threatening nationwide protests/hunger strike.
- Congress criticised police action, citing alleged VIP link to murder.
The parents of Ankita Bhandari were detained by Delhi Police at around 4 am on Thursday while protesting at India Gate against the appointment of former Uttarakhand BJP in-charge Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim.
They were released around 5 am after staging a sit-in.
Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed police personnel taking Ankita’s mother into custody. Following her detention, she said the family would continue its protest until Gautam’s appointment was revoked, threatening to launch a hunger strike at their home if they were not allowed to demonstrate.
Ankita’s father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government, demanding that Gautam’s appointment be cancelled. The family has been seeking to put the appointment on hold until the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged VIP angle in Ankita’s murder is completed.
Ankita Bhandari’s Parents Issue 24-Hour Ultimatum
“We want to state that we will remain steadfast until his (Dushyant Gautam’s) appointment is revoked… If we are not permitted to sit here, we will sit on a hunger strike in our own homes,” Ankita’s mother said after being detained.
Her father warned that the government would face nationwide protests if it failed to withdraw the appointment within 24 hours.
“We give the government a 24-hour ultimatum: the appointment of Dushyant Kumar as the Governor of Sikkim must be cancelled. If it is not revoked, the people across the entire country will take to the streets, and the government will be held responsible,” he said.
Congress leaders Supriya Shrinate, Pawan Khera and Kazi Nizamuddin criticised the police action, alleging that the authorities were targeting the family for demanding justice for Ankita and opposing Gautam’s appointment. Shrinate was present at the protest site when the parents were detained.
Congress Slams Police Action
“What kind of action is this? A heartless act against helpless parents who have been seeking justice for four years. Instead of granting them justice, the main accused is being appointed as a Governor, and on top of that, these parents are being treated with such cruelty,” Shrinate said.
The family has demanded that Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor be put on hold until the CBI completes its investigation into the alleged VIP connection in the case. The demand has brought renewed attention to questions surrounding the circumstances of Ankita’s murder and allegations that an unidentified influential person was linked to the crime.
Gautam, a former national general secretary of the BJP who served as the party’s Uttarakhand in-charge, was appointed Governor of Sikkim on Monday. His name has repeatedly surfaced in allegations raised by Ankita’s family and activists concerning the alleged VIP angle. The allegations against him remain unproven.
What Is The Ankita Bhandari Murder Case?
Ankita, a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was murdered in September 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days after her death on September 18.
Resort owner Pulkit Arya, the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment. The case nevertheless continued to draw political attention over allegations that an unidentified VIP was connected to the crime.
Ankita’s father has alleged that a VIP played a key role in his daughter’s murder and claimed that Gautam was the person responsible. Gautam has denied the accusations and initiated defamation proceedings against those making them. The allegations have not been established.
The Congress has also questioned Gautam’s appointment, claiming that it was intended to shield him from criminal proceedings. The party has argued that a Governor cannot be subjected to criminal proceedings while holding office. The family’s latest protest centres on its demand that the appointment be put on hold until the CBI investigation into the alleged VIP angle is completed.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
