Ankita murder case: Congress demands FIR against BJP leader referred to as ‘VIP’ in video

PTI, Jan 19, 2024, 8:46 AM IST

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Congress on Thursday hit the streets here demanding an FIR against a BJP leader who was referred to as a ‘VIP’ in a viral video by slain receptionist Ankita Bhandari’s mother in connection with the murder case.

Led by senior party leaders Harish Rawat and Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Assembly Yashpal Arya, Congress workers staged a procession here shouting slogans against the state government and demanding justice for the slain receptionist.

“We want justice for Ankita. A leader has been named by her mother in a video as the VIP in connection with her murder. An FIR must be lodged against him and an investigation launched to find if he is involved or not,” Harish Rawat told reporters without naming anyone while taking part in the procession.

Pradesh Mahila Congress president Jyoti Rautela also demanded an FIR against the BJP leader. BJP’s ‘beti bachao beti padhao’ is no more than just a slogan, she said.

“On the one hand the party talks about beti bachao beti padhao, while on the other it has utterly failed in doing justice to a daughter of the hills. A case must be registered against the BJP leader named as the VIP in the video by her mother,” Rautela said without naming anyone.

Ankita who worked as a receptionist at Vanatara resort was allegedly killed by her employer and his two accomplices when she refused to offer ‘extra services’ to a VIP visiting the resort.

In a video which went viral on the social media here recently, Ankita’s mother is saying that state BJP leader Ajaey Kumar was the VIP whose name was being kept under the wraps by the ruling party.

Kumar is BJP’s state organisational secretary.

Ankita’s parents have long been demanding a CBI probe into the murder, saying they had no trust in the ongoing investigation by a state government-appointed SIT.

All three accused in the case are behind bars with a chargesheet filed against them and a trial underway.