ISLAMABAD: Mass protests have erupted across the Indian state of Uttarakhand after an audio leak that has renewed allegations of a political cover-up in the murder case of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari in 2022.
Demonstrations have taken place in multiple districts, including Dehradun, Haldwani, Ramnagar, Mussoorie, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, and Srinagar, with protesters also gathering in New Delhi.
On the call of the opposition, the State of Uttarakhand businesses remained shut down on Jan 11.
In one demonstration in Dehradun, marchers attempted to reach the Chief Minister's residence, reflecting the intensity of public anger.
The widespread unrest was triggered by an audio leak that surfaced on social media in late December, identifying a powerful "VIP" who is consistently being shielded from investigation in the murder case.
The leaked recording allegedly features a conversation between BJP leader and former MLA Suresh Rathore and Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be his wife.
In the audio, Rathore allegedly identifies the VIP as "Gattu", commonly known to be the alias of Dushyant Kumar Gautam, the BJP's National General Secretary, according to The Statesman.
Mukesh Semwal, convenor of “Justice for Ankita Morcha,” has alleged that the investigation team was under "pressure to safeguard the VIP" from the beginning, The Indian Express reported.
The BJP has denied any involvement in a cover-up.
The murder and its aftermath
Ankita Bhandari, a resort receptionist near Rishikesh, was pressured by the resort owner, Pulkit Arya, son of a BJP leader, to provide sexual favors to aforementioned “VIP” in September 2022.
When she refused, she was assaulted, murdered, and dumped into a canal by Pulkit and two accomplices.
Her body was found six days later.
The case was marked by serious irregularities from the start.
Ankita's family faced a lack of cooperation from authorities, who refused to file a police report for three days before yielding to pressure following media coverage of the case.
The resort owner and his two accomplices were only arrested after a special investigation team was formed.
The identity of the VIP was not pursued in the final chargesheet.
Adding to concerns about evidence tampering, parts of the Vanantara resort where Ankita had been staying were swiftly demolished the day after her murder.
The demolition was carried out under official orders and supervised by local BJP MLA Renu Bisht, according to court testimony from the JCB bulldozer driver, The Statesman reported.
After three years of legal proceedings, the known culprits were convicted by the Uttarakhand Sessions Court on May 30 of last year.
However, questions about the unnamed VIP remained unanswered, fuelling suspicions of a cover-up at the highest levels.
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