The fact that justice has not been served even years after the heinous and heartbreaking murder of Ankita Bhandari, a daughter of Uttarakhand, raises the biggest question mark on the intentions, policies, and ethics of the BJP government. Against the conspiracy of providing open protection to influential people and suppressing the truth, hundreds of Congress workers, led by State Congress Committee President Ganesh Godiyal, lit candles and ignited the flame of justice from the State Congress headquarters to Ghantaghar today.
Addressing the candle march, Ganesh Godiyal said that Ankita’s murder is not just a crime, but a systematic murder of justice perpetrated by the BJP’s power-protected system. It is shameful that even after a daughter lost her life, the BJP government continued to protect the accused. He launched a scathing attack, saying that serious questions are being raised about the roles of BJP National General Secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge Dushyant Gautam and BJP MLA Renu Bisht, but no impartial investigation has been conducted to date. Why is the BJP afraid, and of whom? Godiyal questioned why the BJP government is running away from a CBI investigation when its own people are publicly talking about ‘VIP’ protection? Is it because if the truth comes out, the entire facade of power will crumble?
The Congress state president alleged that the BJP government has been working from the beginning to destroy evidence, protect the accused, and mentally break the victim’s family. He said it is extremely unfortunate and inhumane that the government whose primary duty should be to protect daughters is today acting as a shield for the murderers. This is not silence on the part of the BJP, but complicity in the crime.
The Congress party’s clear demands are:
1. Immediate arrest of Dushyant Gautam and Renu Bisht,
2. A CBI investigation into the entire murder case under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court,
3. No VIP, political pressure, or power protection should be allowed to influence the investigation.
Godiyal unequivocally stated that no matter how powerful the culprit is, they will be brought to justice. The Congress party will not rest until Ankita receives complete justice. He said that this candle march symbolizes the Congress’s unwavering commitment to the safety, respect, and justice of every daughter of Uttarakhand. The state Congress president warned that if the BJP government still tries to evade the truth, the Congress party will launch a mass movement from the streets to the assembly.
The Congress’s struggle will continue, and it will ensure that Ankita gets justice.
On this occasion, State General Secretary Rajendra Singh Bhandari, former minister Hira Singh Bisht, MLA Bhuvan Kapri, Mahila Congress President Jyoti Rautela, Suryakant Dhasmana, Rajendra Shah, Lalchand Sharma, Naveen Joshi, Yakub Siddiqui, Rajiv Maharshi, Garima Mehra Dasauni, Suvarsha Paul, Dr. Pratima Singh, Metropolitan President Dr. Jaswinder Singh Gogi, Pradeep Joshi, Abhinav Thapar, Asha Manorama Dobriyal, Puran Rawat, Neenu Sehgal, Akhilesh Uniyal, Amarendra Singh, Manish Nagpal, Jagdish Dhiman, Piya Thapa, Rajendra Singh Rana, Surendra Rangad, Yashpal Chauhan, Sushil Rathi, Parineeta Badoni, Gambhir Jayada, Shivani Mishra, Lalit Bhadri, Bantu Bhatt, Sunit Singh Rathore, Anil Basnet, Vipul Nautiyal, Madhusudan Sundriyal, Virendra Panwar, Jamal Bhai, Amit Bhandari, Manju Tripathi, Mahendra Singh Rawat, Adarsh Sood, Lalit Thapliyal, Monica Chaudhary, Salman Ahmed, and hundreds of other workers were present.
