Ankita Bhandari Case: FIR Against Harish Rawat & 30 Congress Leaders
Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat and 30 Congress leaders face FIRs after protesting Dushyant Gautam's appointment as Sikkim Governor.
In a dramatic escalation of political tension in Uttarakhand, an FIR has been registered against former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and 30 other Congress leaders. The legal action follows a massive protest staged by the party against the appointment of Dushyant Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim, a move the Congress claims is an insult to the victim in the Ankita Bhandari case.
Crackdown on Congress Leadership
The police action didn't stop at the former Chief Minister. Cases have also been filed against high-profile figures including Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal, Harak Singh Rawat, and Pritam Singh. These leaders have been booked under sections 132 and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 2023.
The FIRs stem from a large-scale demonstration held on Thursday, where Congress workers and leaders gathered outside the main gate of Lok Bhavan in Dehradun. The protest was specifically aimed at the central government's decision to appoint Dushyant Gautam, the former BJP Uttarakhand in-charge, to the prestigious constitutional role of Governor of Sikkim.
The Controversy: Justice for Ankita Bhandari
The core of the anger lies in the tragic murder of Ankita Bhandari. Ankita was killed on September 18, 2022, and her body was later recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24 of the same year. The case sent shockwaves across the state, leading to a CBI investigation that is still ongoing.
Kumari Selja, Congress MP and AICC in-charge for Uttarakhand, launched a blistering attack on the BJP, alleging that Dushyant Gautam's name has surfaced in connection with the case. She argued that appointing such an individual as a Governor shows a "complete disregard for democracy and justice."
"Congress was actually the first party to raise Ankita Bhandari's case... Today, the BJP government just picks one of those names and makes him the Governor," Selja stated.
Democracy Under Scrutiny
Kumari Selja further questioned why the ruling dispensation would assign constitutional roles to individuals facing public scrutiny, suggesting that such moves erode public faith in the government's governance. She highlighted that while the Congress party, including leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, has stood in solidarity with the victim's family, the government has chosen to "remove" the individuals from the local jurisdiction rather than ensuring justice.
Call for Reconsideration
The political firestorm has reached the highest levels of government. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has formally urged President Droupadi Murmu to reconsider the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam. Gandhi has called for the appointment to be put on hold until the CBI investigation into the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari is fully completed.