Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has met the family of Ankita Bhandari, who was killed at a resort in Uttarakhand for allegedly “resisting the demands of a VIP guest”.

In a social media statement on Saturday (August 15, 2026), Mr. Gandhi said four years had passed since the murder, but even today the family is waiting for justice.

Mr. Gandhi said he met Ms. Bhandari’s parents two days ago. Maintaining that the post-mortem report also confirmed evidence of violence and drowning, he said Ankita’s room at the resort was demolished before any kind of investigation could take place, which was suspicious in itself.

“The most shameful aspect of this tragic case is that the State government itself continues to protect that ‘VIP’ to this day. Why? Because he is a prominent leader of the BJP-RSS. This is the BJP’s warped mentality — protecting rapists and criminals, providing them political cover, even welcoming convicted rapists with garlands. The most repulsive people in the world are those who defend rapists, and the BJP is full of such individuals,” Mr. Gandhi said.

He added the country cannot move forward until this inhuman mentality that treats women as objects is eradicated. “India will move forward only when India’s women move forward—with respect, safety, equality, and justice,” he said.