Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the Modi government over the detention of the parents of Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, saying the hallmark of this regime is to silence the voices of the victims and remove those who ask questions.
Parents of the 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari were released early Thursday, hours after being detained while protesting near India Gate against Dushyant Kumar Gautam's appointment as Sikkim governor.
While being detained, her father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Centre to cancel Gautam's appointment.
"4 AM in the morning. While the world was asleep, Ankita Bhandari's parents were taken into custody. Their crime? They were sitting quietly at India Gate - with burdened shoulders, without any commotion, and simply demanding that Dushyant Gautam should not be made the Governor of Sikkim until the CBI investigation is complete," Gandhi wrote on X.
"Yesterday, Priyanka and I met these parents. Even before the results of that investigation came in, the appointment was rushed, and the parents asking questions were picked up in the dead of night," Gandhi said.
"This is the hallmark of this government: silence the voices of the victims, remove those who ask questions," the Lok Sabha LoP said, adding: "the fight for justice will neither be silenced nor stopped."
The Congress stands with Ankita Bhandari's family, and will continue to stand with them until they get justice, he asserted using the hashtag 'Justice For Ankita Bhandari'.
According to sources, her parents were released around 5 am.
Ankita's father threatened to launch a nationwide agitation if the government did not accept their demand. Her family has been alleging that Gautam played a key role in Ankita's death.
"We give a 24-hour ultimatum to the government for the cancellation of Dushyant's appointment. Nationwide protests will be launched if the government does not accept our demand," Ankita's father told PTI Videos.
Apart from the parents, several Congress leaders, including the party's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, party MP Imran Pratapgarhi, social media department head Supriya Shrinate and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib, were also detained and later released.
The parents have been demanding that Gautam's appointment as Sikkim governor be put on hold until ongoing CBI probe into the case is complete.
Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices have been convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case hogged the political spotlight over allegations that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime. Ankita's family and activists have demanded an investigation into the alleged VIP angle, with Gautam's name being raised in connection with the allegations. Gautam has denied the accusations and initiated defamation proceedings against them.
The Congress has claimed that the appointment was aimed at shielding Gautam, arguing that a governor cannot be subjected to criminal proceedings while holding office.
(With inputs from PTI)