NEW DELHI: The brutal murder of Ankita Bhandari three years ago has rapidly escalated from a state-level outrage into a full-blown national issue, as public anger intensifies and political pressure mounts on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership.
With the “Justice for Ankita” movement gathering momentum across Uttarakhand and beyond, the case has emerged as a serious challenge for both the state government and the party’s central command.
Sources indicate that the BJP’s central leadership is actively exploring options to contain the political fallout, including possible changes in the Uttarakhand leadership. Speculation is rife in political circles that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the state BJP president Mahendra Bhatt could face the axe if the crisis deepens further.
The leadership churn is being discussed amid concerns that the party’s image has suffered significant damage due to allegations of political shielding and obstruction of justice.
The controversy intensified after an alleged video conversation between former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore and his wife, actor Urmila Sanawar, surfaced and went viral. The contents of the purported conversation, now widely circulated on social media, have reportedly rattled the BJP’s top brass in Delhi. While the party has not officially commented on the authenticity of the clip, its political impact has been immediate and far-reaching.
Several BJP leaders including Haridwar Loksabha MP Trevendra Singh Rawat have publicly broken ranks to demand a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case.
Their statements have added to the pressure on the state government, which has so far resisted calls for an independent central investigation. As the issue dominated national headlines, the name of BJP National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam, along with that of a senior state BJP general secretary, came under scrutiny following allegations linked to the leaked conversation. Party insiders privately concede that the developments have become a “major headache” for the leadership.
Legal developments have further sharpened the focus on the case. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, who is representing interests related to the matter in the Supreme Court, has stated that he intends to file a review petition in the apex court in light of what he describes as “new and significant evidence” that has recently surfaced.
Meanwhile, the streets are heating up. Reports from Dehradun suggest that a massive protest march is being organised to gherao Chief Minister Dhami’s official residence on Sunday. In the national capital, large-scale public rallies and demonstrations are also scheduled at Jantar Mantar, signalling that the agitation has firmly crossed state boundaries.
As public outrage shows no signs of ebbing, the Ankita Bhandari case is fast becoming a defining test for the BJP’s governance narrative, raising uncomfortable questions about accountability, transparency, and the rule of law.
[Writer is Senior Journalist and Political Commentator]
Picture credit social media
Umakant Lakhera is a Senior Journalist and Political Commentator
