DEHRADUN: The alleged involvement of BJP office-bearer Dushyant Kumar Gautam in the Ankita Bhandari murder case has caused significant embarrassment for the party in Uttarakhand.
The controversy stems from claims made in an audio clip allegedly featuring Urmila Sanawar, which has surfaced amid the ongoing investigation into the tragic killing of the Vanantara Resort receptionist.
In response to the circulating material, Dushyant Kumar Gautam, BJP National General Secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge, has taken swift action by writing to the Principal Secretary (Home).
Gautam has strongly characterised the material as part of a "criminal conspiracy", requesting immediate action to remove the objectionable content from social media platforms and prohibit its further dissemination.
In his letter to the Secretary (Home), Dushyant Gautam asserted his standing as a respected social and political worker nationwide. He stated that he had received information indicating that certain "criminal elements" had fabricated a "false and concocted audio recording" as part of a deliberate conspiracy.
"This abhorrent, malicious, and false material is being spread across media and social media platforms to advance this criminal conspiracy," the letter reportedly noted.
The BJP in-charge provided specific details of the dissemination channels. The letter named Urmila Sanawar, along with 28 Facebook IDs, their associated email addresses, and phone numbers. Furthermore, the request targeted nine Instagram handles, eight YouTube channels, and two X (formerly Twitter) handles that are allegedly broadcasting this content.
The official communication urged the relevant social media platforms and news channels to immediately remove all such material and impose a ban on its direct or indirect broadcast. As evidence, a pen drive containing the downloaded content from these social media accounts was reportedly attached to the letter sent to the Secretary (Home).
The tragic murder of nineteen-year-old Ankita Bhandari first came to light on September 18, 2022. Ankita worked as a receptionist at the Vanantara Resort in Yamkeshwar, Pauri district. Her body was tragically recovered from the Cheela Shakti Canal approximately one week after she was reported missing.