Ankita Bhandari ,Urmila Sanwar, Dushyant Gautam
NEW DELHI: The Ankita Bhandari murder in Uttarakhand has once again erupted into a national political controversy, placing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) top leadership under renewed scrutiny after a purported video went viral on social media, triggering fresh allegations and demands for a court-monitored CBI probe.
The video, widely circulated over the past few days, allegedly features Suresh Chauhan an ex BJP Haridwar MLA in a heated conversation with his wife, Urmila Sanwar, in which he claims that Dushyant Gautam, a senior BJP leader and the party’s general secretary in charge of Uttarakhand, was a key figure behind the killing of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari.
Chauhan is heard alleging that Gautam sought to sexually exploit Ankita at a resort near Rishikesh, where she was employed. A film actor Urmila Sanwar, in turn, has publicly claimed that she possesses additional evidence to corroborate her allegations regarding the murder.
Ankita Bhandari was killed at a resort in Sept 2022 allegedly owned by son and workers of Vinod Arya, a Senior BJP leader of the state who at that time held a minister-level position as chairman of the Maati Commission.
Few months ago both the killers were sentenced life terms in the murder. The case had sparked widespread public outrage and protests across Uttarakhand when it first came to light, but the emergence of the new video has intensified political pressure on the ruling party.
In Delhi, the Congress leadership of Uttarakhand has issued a 10-day ultimatum to the BJP-led Centre and the state government, demanding a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case.
Failing this, the party has threatened a massive agitation, including dharnas and public protests at the Garhwal Mandal divisional headquarters in Pauri.
At a press conference held on Tuesday at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi, Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Ganesh Godiyal launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of ignoring calls for a CBI inquiry into what he described as a “gruesome and cold-blooded murder.”
Godiyal alleged that the chief minister Pushkar Dhami did not recommend a CBI probe despite sustained public anger, suggesting that influential figures within the BJP were being shielded.
According to Godiyal, a central investigation was “deliberately blocked” because the resort was allegedly frequented by powerful individuals involved in “illegal and immoral activities.” He demanded immediate action against all BJP leaders named in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, social activists and several non-BJP political parties have echoed the demand for an independent probe, calling for strict action against those allegedly involved in the sexual exploitation and murder of the young girl.
As political temperatures rise, the viral video has ensured that the Ankita Bhandari case is once again at the centre of national attention, with mounting pressure on the government to respond decisively.
[Writer is Senior Journalist and Political Commentator]
Ganesh Godiyal
Umakant Lakhera is a Senior Journalist and Political Commentator
