Dehradun, Oct 13 (PTI) The Uttarakhand Congress on Tuesday protested against the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the new governor of Sikkim, alleging his name had cropped up in the Ankita Bhandari murder case.
Party workers led by state Congress committee president Ganesh Godiyal observed one-hour silence in front of the Gandhi statue at Gandhi Park here against his appointment.
The state Congress president alleged that the appointment is a “direct attempt to save Gautam as no case can be registered against a governor.”
“The appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the governor of Sikkim hurts the sentiments of all residents of Uttarakhand…This decision has been taken as a deliberate attempt to hurt the sentiments of people of Uttarakhand, especially rub salt on the wounds and emotions that people here feel for the Ankita Bhandari case,” he said.
“This is a dictatorial attempt to tell the people of Uttarakhand that any decision will be taken and citizens cannot do anything,” Godiyal said, while targeting the BJP leadership.
Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja also took to social media to question the decision to appoint Gautam as governor.
Gautam had previously served as the BJP’s state in-charge for Uttarakhand.
“The BJP government has appointed the very VIP — whose name is being cited by Ankita Bhandari’s parents as they plead for justice for their daughter — to a constitutional post like that of a governor. Ideally, the CBI investigation should have proceeded rapidly and an FIR should have been registered against the named accused; instead, the BJP government appointed him governor,” Selja said.
Without naming anyone, senior Congress leader Harish Rawat said, “The individual whom Uttarakhand is seeking — regarding him as a criminal and aiming to bring him within the reach of the law — is a prominent figure in the Ankita murder case. Now, one would have to travel far to the rugged terrains of the Purvanchal region to locate him. While our reach may not extend that far, the punishment for the crime committed is inevitable. Sooner or later, justice will be served.”
Bhandari was killed on September 18, 2022, at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh. Her body was discovered four days later at the Chilla canal.
Resort owner Pulkit Arya, who is the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were later arrested for the murder and were sentenced to life imprisonment. PTI SPY
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