Ankita Bhandari’s family should reject govt aid if they seeking only justice: BJP MLA

BJP MLA Dilip Rawat on Thursday said Ankita Bhandari's parents should reject government assistance if their sole demand was justice for their daughter, triggering a sharp reaction from the Congress.

Speaking to the media, Rawat said he stood with every woman who had faced injustice and supported Ankita's family in their demand for justice, but questioned their acceptance of government assistance despite their dissatisfaction with the state's actions.

"While I stand by her family and support their cause when they say that they have not gotten justice and they are unhappy with all attempts being made by the state government. I feel that the government has given them some assistance, and if they are unhappy with the government's actions, then they should reject such help," he said.

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Rawat said he was not aware whether the government had provided any assistance to the family, but added that if their only demand was justice, they should reject all assistance and focus solely on the issue.

"I do not know if the government has given any assistance, but if they (Ankita Bhandari's family) only demand justice then they should reject all assistance provided and only talk about justice. Our government should also seriously consider their demand and work towards ensuring justice for the family," he said.

He added that when someone seeks justice, all other assistance becomes irrelevant as their sole objective should be to ensure justice.

Reacting to Rawat's remarks, Uttarakhand Congress senior vice president Suryakant Dhasmana termed them a reflection of the BJP's "anti-women mindset" and demanded that the party clarify whether the compensation given to Ankita's family was conditional on them not raising demands to expose the alleged "VIP" involved in the case.

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"The compensation was paid from the public exchequer -- comprising the hard-earned money of the people -- and not from the BJP's own coffers. BJP is repeatedly making malicious attempts, under various pretexts, to protect the 'VIP' who is the true culprit in the Ankita Bhandari case. The perpetrator will not escape; once the Congress returns to power, the real culprit behind the crime against Ankita will be brought to justice," Dhasmana said.

Ankita, a 19-year-old receptionist at Vantara Resort near Rishikesh, was murdered on September 18, 2022, by resort owner Pulkit Arya and his two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta. All three were subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in connection with the case.