Young girls in Uttarakhand are writing letters to the President in their own blood. State BJP leaders are resigning from the party. From the mountains to the plains, people are taking to the streets. All demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari, the 19-year-old receptionist at a resort near Rishikesh, who was brutally murdered in September 2022.

Last May, a sessions court sentenced Pulkit Arya – son of a former BJP leader and owner of the Vanantara resort where Ankita worked – and two associates to life imprisonment for the murder. The Pushkar Singh Dhami government even took credit for securing the convictions. 

But recently, actress Urmila Sanawar shared a recording on social media of a conversation she allegedly had with a former BJP MLA in which a senior party leader was mentioned in relation to the case, sparking speculation: who was the ‘VIP’ responsible for Ankita's murder?

Urmila alleged that BJP national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam and former Yamkeshwar district panchayat member Aarti Gaur were involved in the case. She also claimed that local political pressure led to the partial demolition of the Vanantara resort with bulldozers, destroying what may have been crucial evidence linked to Ankita's death.

On Sunday, a massive crowd consisting mainly of young people and women marched towards the chief minister’s residence in Dehradun with a simple demand: that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigate the Ankita Bhandari murder case and that the name of the ‘VIP’ allegedly responsible for this brutal murder be made public.

Meanwhile, the Dhami government's stance suggests it is more interested in damage control than in addressing public sentiment. As a result, protests are only intensifying, and an Uttarakhand bandh (shutdown) has been called for January 11.

Dushyant Kumar Gautam has denied these allegations. He has also filed a defamation suit against the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, actress Urmila Sanawar and others in the Delhi High Court for social media posts linking him to the murder case. 

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court ordered the removal of social media posts by the Congress, AAP and other entities linking him to the murder case.

Watch our explainer. 

In times of misinformation, you need news you can trust. We’ve got you covered. Subscribe to Newslaundry and power our work.