Dehradun: Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya said that when there is an unholy alliance of power, money, and influence, how can the daughters of ordinary citizens be safe? He said that the new facts that have emerged through people associated with the BJP in the Ankita murder case have shaken the conscience of the people of Devbhoomi (Uttarakhand).
The Leader of the Opposition said that the murderers and those responsible for the murder were directly connected to powerful people in the BJP and the government, which is why a CBI inquiry into the Ankita murder case was not conducted despite the strong demand from Ankita’s family, the Congress party, and the people of Uttarakhand.
Arya said that the new facts have made it clear that Ankita Bhandari’s murder was neither an accident nor a case of mental aberration of a single individual. The Leader of the Opposition said that it was an example of state-sponsored brutality, where a daughter of Uttarakhand refused to bow down to the brutality of those in power. Ankita had to pay with her life for refusing to compromise her dignity.
Yashpal Arya asked why daughters are most unsafe under the rule of those who claim to be the custodians of values, religion, morality, and culture? He said that the main reason for the Ankita Bhandari murder case was the pressure to provide special services to a very influential person associated with the BJP organization. He alleged that the SIT constituted by the state’s BJP government kept that alleged influential person outside the scope of the investigation.
The Leader of the Opposition said that now the BJP is using caste to defend that influential person. He said that the crime should be seen, not the caste of the criminal. Yashpal Arya said that the Ankita murder case is a heinous crime, and all the criminals involved in this case should not have received a punishment less than death. Yashpal Arya said that under the BJP government’s rule, heinous acts have taken place in Nainital, an innocent girl was raped in Lalkuan, a four-year-old minor girl was raped and murdered in Kichha, a minor was gang-raped in Uttarkashi, attempts were made to rape minors in Bageshwar and Tharali, incidents of molestation of visually impaired girls occurred at the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped in Dehradun, the Hema Negi and Pinky murder cases, rape of a minor in Champawat, gang rape in Manglaur, an attempt to rape a young woman in Srinagar, rape of a minor Dalit girl in Dwarahat, a woman was held captive and raped in Dehradun, and a 13-year-old innocent girl was gang-raped and murdered in Bahadrabad – countless incidents that shame humanity and tarnish the sanctity of Devbhoomi (Uttarakhand). The Leader of the Opposition said that BJP leaders were found to be involved in most of these incidents.
The Leader of the Opposition said that the Ankita Bhandari case is a matter of humanity, above politics. Now that questions have been raised, the government should reopen this sensitive case and order an independent and impartial CBI inquiry.
