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Congress MP and AICC in-charge for Uttarakhand, Kumari Selja, on Sunday criticised the BJP government over the controversy surrounding the alleged involvement of a VIP in the Ankita Bhandari murder case, questioning the delay in the CBI's action and announcing that the party's agitation would continue until justice is served.
In a post on X, Selja said the Congress had organised candle marches across Uttarakhand to demand justice for Ankita Bhandari and other women who had allegedly faced injustice in the state. https://x.com/Kumari_Selja/status/2111687612767584469?s=20 The Congress party has taken out candle marches across the entire Uttarakhand to raise the voice for justice for Ankita Bhandari and all the daughters of the state who have fallen victim to injustice. We are continuously reaching out to the people, and this struggle will continue until justice is served, she wrote. Targeting the BJP government over the appointment of former BJP Uttarakhand in-charge Dushyant Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim, Selja alleged that the decision had sparked widespread outrage in Uttarakhand. She also questioned the CBI's response in the case, asking why action had not been taken earlier and why the agency had acted after Ankita's parents staged a protest at India Gate seeking justice, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi extending support to them. The people of Uttarakhand will not tolerate this injustice. A wave of change is sweeping the state. The Congress party's fight will continue from the streets to the halls of the legislature. We will keep struggling to ensure justice for Ankita and every aggrieved daughter of the state, Selja said. A day earlier, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) members took out a candle march in the national capital, demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari. The controversy centres on the alleged involvement of a VIP in the murder of Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort near Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, in September 2022. The issue has resurfaced following Gautam's appointment as the Governor of Sikkim. Ankita was murdered on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24, 2022. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two staff members, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were arrested in the case. On May 30, 2025, the three were sentenced to life imprisonment by Additional District Judge Reena Negi in Kotdwar for murder, destruction of evidence and other charges. Allegations regarding the involvement of a VIP have remained a point of contention since the murder. The SIT investigation referred to a VIP in connection with a room at the resort, while police maintained that the convictions were based on evidence against the three accused. Ankita's parents have repeatedly demanded that the identity of the alleged VIP be disclosed, expressing concerns that influential individuals may have been shielded during the investigation. They have also objected to the appointment of any individual whose name allegedly surfaced during the investigation to a constitutional post without clearance from investigative agencies. (ANI)
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