Rahul Gandhi cites Uttarakhand’s Ankita Bhandari murder, calls for women’s safety, justice

New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday called for eradicating the mentality that treats women as objects for men’s use, emphasising that India will move forward only when India’s women move forward — with respect, safety, equality, and justice.

Referring to Uttarakhand’s Ankita Bhandari murder of 2022, Gandhi posted a message on X and shared his picture with the victim’s family.

“I met Ankita Bhandari’s family two days ago. Four years have passed, but even today they are still waiting for justice — for a crime against their daughter that is unforgivable,” he said.

Gandhi presented the case as a reflection of the system’s apathy towards common citizens and alleged protection of the influential.

“Ankita, just 19 years old, was a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort where she was murdered by being drowned in the Chilla canal after resisting the shameful demands of a ‘VIP’ guest. The postmortem report also confirmed evidence of violence and drowning,” he said.

Gandhi wrote on X, “However, Ankita’s room at the resort was demolished before any kind of investigation could take place, which is suspicious in itself. The most shameful aspect of this tragic case is that the state government itself continues to protect that ‘VIP’ to this day. Why? Because he is a prominent leader…”

“Protecting rapists and criminals, providing them political cover, even welcoming convicted rapists with garlands. The most repulsive people in the world are those who defend rapists…,” said Gandhi.

The murder that took place on September 18, 2022, sparked widespread outrage across Uttarakhand. Ankita’s body was dumped in the Chilla Shakti Canal and recovered nearly a week later.

Following an extensive investigation by a Special Investigation Team, a 500-page charge sheet was filed in the case, naming 97 witnesses, out of whom 47 testified before the court. The case was later taken over by the CBI.

Prime accused Pulkit Arya, the owner of Vanantra Resort and the son of a politician, along with co-accused Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were convicted by a trial court in Kotdwar on May 30, 2025 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Pulkit Arya was found guilty under multiple serious charges, including murder, tampering with evidence, harassment and immoral trafficking.

The convicts have appealed against their sentence in the Uttarakhand High Court.

–IANS

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