Garhwal Post Bureau
New Delhi, 23 Dec: Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) President Ganesh Godiyal today addressed a press conference in New Delhi, where he intensified the Congress party’s attack on the BJP government in Uttarakhand by renewing the demand for a court-monitored CBI inquiry into the Ankita Bhandari murder case. Godiyal alleged that the truth is being deliberately suppressed to protect powerful individuals.
Addressing a press conference organised by the All India Congress Committee in New Delhi, Godiyal claimed that the case had exposed a disturbing gap between the ruling party’s public slogans on women’s safety and the grim realities faced by women in the hill state. He was accompanied by AICC secretaries and Uttarakhand co-in-charges Surendra Sharma and Manoj Yadav.
During the press conference, Godiyal drew attention to a video that has gone viral in Uttarakhand in which a woman identifying herself as the wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore claims to possess audio recordings suggesting that pressure was exerted on Ankita Bhandari to provide so-called special services to a high-profile individual. He said the woman had named Gautam, the current BJP Uttarakhand in-charge, in connection with these allegations. He however refrained from playing the purported audio allegedly due to its sensitive nature and claimed that the revelations raised serious questions about the intent of the ruling party and demanded an impartial investigation.
Godiyal alleged that the state government was complicit in destroying crucial evidence. He pointed to the demolition of the room at the resort where Ankita lived, carried out soon after her body was recovered, and claimed that attempts were made to burn her bedding before disposing of it. He questioned why the Dhami government chose to demolish the crime scene instead of taking punitive action against the private properties of the accused, alleging that the move, purportedly ordered by local MLA Renu Bisht, was aimed at shielding influential figures.
Godiyal also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remaining silent on the issue despite repeated visits to Uttarakhand, arguing that justice for Ankita was essential to ensure the safety of women across the state. Accusing the state government and the Special Investigation Team of intimidating witnesses and protecting the main accused, including a BJP leader’s son and an unnamed VIP mentioned in Ankita’s final chats, he demanded a CBI probe monitored by a sitting or retired Supreme Court judge.
Warning of an escalation, Godiyal said that, if the state government failed to recommend a court-monitored CBI inquiry by 4 or 5 January, 2026, the Congress would organise a major protest and gherao the government at the Garhwal divisional headquarters. He added that while Ankita’s parents were simple villagers with their own constraints, the case has grown beyond an individual tragedy and now represented a larger question of women’s security in Uttarakhand, reiterating the Congress party’s commitment to pursuing justice.
