StatesUttarakhand
Dhami defends police in Ankita Bhandari case, says Congress is politicising it
The Uttarakhand Chief Minister spoke after Ankita's parents were detained at their Delhi protest against Dushyant Gautam's appointment as Sikkim Governor.
Key points
- Pushkar Singh Dhami said his government took every legal step from the first day.
- Police said all three accused were arrested within 24 hours and remain in jail.
- Ankita's parents were detained near India Gate while protesting Gautam's appointment.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday defended his police’s handling of the Ankita Bhandari murder case and accused the Congress of turning it into a political issue, hours after Ankita’s parents were detained at their protest in Delhi.
“From the very first day, we have made every possible effort and taken all necessary legal actions regarding this case,” Dhami said. He said there was “absolutely zero tolerance for the crime committed”, that the three accused had been sentenced to life imprisonment, and that his government had accepted the family’s request for a CBI inquiry and taken steps to make it possible.
He said the Congress was raising the case because it lacked any real issues of its own.
V Murugesan, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), said “the police took immediate action and arrested three individuals within 24 hours; they are still in jail.”
Protest at India Gate
Ankita’s parents had been sitting in near India Gate since Wednesday to protest against the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim. They want the appointment put on hold until the CBI completes its investigation. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, joined them on Wednesday and condemned their detention, which took place at about 4 am.
Ankita, 19, worked as a receptionist at a resort near Rishikesh. She was killed on 18 September 2022 and her body was found in the Chilla canal six days later. Her family and activists have long alleged that an unnamed “VIP” was linked to the crime, and Gautam’s name has come up repeatedly. The allegations are unproven, and he has denied them.