BJP’s Dushyant Gautam files defamation case for posts linking him to Ankita Bhandari murder case

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dushyant Gautam, who is in charge of the party’s Uttarakhand unit, has filed a defamation petition in the Delhi High Court against the Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, actress Urmila Sanawar and others for social media posts linking him to the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.

Gautam alleged that the online posts by Sanawar falsely linked him to Bhandari’s murder at a resort near Haridwar, causing him severe reputational harm, The New Indian Express reported.

In December, Sanawar had uploaded videos and an audio recording of her alleged phone conversation with her supposed former husband, expelled BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, in which Gautam was allegedly mentioned.

Following the social media posts, the Congress and other Opposition parties had alleged that Gautam was also involved in the case and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe in the matter.

Bhandari worked as a receptionist at a resort in Rishikesh that was owned by Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya. She went missing on September 18, 2022. A day later, Pulkit Arya, resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta filed a missing person report.

However, they later confessed to killing Bhandari by pushing her into a canal following an altercation. Bhandari’s body was recovered from the Chilla Canal in Rishikesh six days after she had gone missing.

The BJP expelled Vinod Arya and his other son Ankit Arya after the matter came to light.

Evidence recovered later, such as WhatsApp messages from Bhandari to a friend, seemed to show that the men were allegedly trying to force Bhandari into prostitution. It was claimed that she was killed for refusing to provide “special services” to a “VIP”.

In May, Pulkit Arya, Bhaskar and Gupta were sentenced to life imprisonment.

In his defamation suit, Gautam accused Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal, the AAP, Sanawar, Rathore and several users of the social media platform X of defamation. Social media platforms Meta, Google and X have also been accused of defamation by him.

“Serious allegations have been levelled against me, suggesting I was the ‘VIP’ connected to the Ankita Bhandari case, all without any judicial conclusion,” The New Indian Express quoted his petition as having said.

The plea said that despite clarifications and the registration of first information reports, the content continued to be shared without correction or apology, causing ongoing harm to his reputation.

He has sought damages of about Rs 2 crore and injunctions to restrain further circulation of the material, The New Indian Express reported.

Gautam also filed a police complaint against Rathore, Sanawar, the Congress and the AAP, citing provisions of the Information Technology Act and defamation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, The Indian Express reported.

In the complaint, he alleged that the audio and video clips had been deliberately circulated to defame him, damage the image of the BJP, provoke the public and disturb public order.

The Uttarakhand Police said a case had been registered based on Gautam’s complaint and that the evidence provided would be examined, ANI reported.

Matter being politicised, alleges chief minister

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday said that no one was being shielded from an investigation and alleged that the matter was being politicised, The Indian Express reported.

“When the paper leak protests began, it was also sparked by an audio,” Dhami was quoted as saying. “This time, another audio clip has led to the current state. Doesn’t this look like a conspiracy to you?”.

The chief minister said that a Special Investigation Team had been set up to investigate the audio clip and check the credibility of the claims.

The police are trying to trace Sanawar and Rathore, Dhami said.