Two issues are prevalent in Uttarakhand. Congress is raising one issue, Bharatiya Janata Party is raising the other issue. Congress says that in the Ankita Bhandari case, the VIP guest for whom Ankita Bhandari was pressurized to give sexual favors was Dushyant Kumar Gautam, who has been appointed as the Governor of Sikkim. There were many protests against BJP in the state. In response, Bharatiya Janata Party has also found the Achilles heel of Congress. BJP leaders are cornering Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Harak Singh Rawat over the Jenny scandal.
Indira Devi alias Jenny, resident of Assam, has accused Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat of sexual exploitation. He has demanded a fresh DNA test to prove the paternity of his son. Jenny alleges that in 2002, a party worker had taken her to Harak Singh Rawat's house in Yamuna Colony, Dehradun. At that time his age was 16 years. She claims that she stayed there for about one and a half to two months.
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Is this the Jenny episode in which Harak Singh is surrounded?
Jenny lives in Assam. She has been much discussed in the politics of Uttarakhand. She worked at an STD booth in Yamuna Colony. He says that from there a worker of Harak Singh Rawat took him to the Congress leader's house. He claimed that Harak Singh Rawat had said where will you send him, leave him at my house only.
Jenny also alleged that after becoming pregnant, she was kept among mentally ill people in Nari Niketan in the name of hostel. He said that it can be investigated.
What does Jenny want now after 23 years?
- The accused should be punished for rape
- son gets his father's name
How old is this dispute?
The Jenny episode is a decades-old political controversy in Uttarakhand. It first appeared in 2003. Jenny gave birth to a child in a government hospital in Dehradun in June 2003. Then he had claimed that Harak Singh Rawat is the father of the child.
The then Chief Minister ND Tiwari had ordered a CBI inquiry into the matter. In the CBI DNA test, the child's DNA did not match that of Rawat. After this Rawat got CBI clean chit. Harak Singh Rawat has been the Revenue Minister in the Congress government of ND Tiwari. He is a senior Congress leader and is currently active in the party's election campaign.
What does Harak Singh Rawat have to say?
Expressing no confidence in the investigating agencies, Harak Singh Rawat first demanded a CBI investigation into the Ankita murder case and said that under political pressure the agencies can also prepare fake DNA reports. He challenged that DNA test of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Mahendra Bhatt, Anil Gupta and himself should be done under the direct supervision of the court.
Harak Singh Rawat claimed that if even 0.1 percent of his guilt is proved in this case, he will immediately retire from politics. He raised the question who would be responsible for tarnishing his image through false allegations in 2003-04 and now. He said in a warning tone that this politics of false allegations should be stopped, because tomorrow similar false allegations can be leveled against Dhami and then it will be difficult to answer.
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What is Ankita Bhandari murder case?
Ankita Bhandari murder case is a case related to the murder of 19-year-old receptionist Ankita Bhandari of Vantara Resort in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. In September 2022, resort owner Pulkit Arya and two of his associates demanded sexual favors for a VIP guest. When Ankita refused, he screamed and killed her by throwing her into the canal.
There were demonstrations across the state after the murder. A demand was made to constitute a SIT to investigate the case. The main accused Pulkit Arya along with managers Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were arrested. After the completion of the trial in the court, in May 2025, the court found all three accused guilty of murder and destruction of evidence and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
No decision has been taken yet regarding the allegations of destruction of evidence by the bulldozer operating on the resort and an impartial investigation into the name and role of that alleged VIP. The victim's family and opposition parties are still fighting for the demand of a court-monitored CBI investigation. The VIP guest whose name has surfaced is linked to Dushyant Kumar Gautam. This is why the opposition is furious over his appointment.
BJP got stake in Uttarakhand?
From the political point of view, the rekindling of the Jenny scandal is being seen as an immediate strategic opportunity for the Bharatiya Janata Party. Pushkar Singh Dhami government is continuously on the radar of the opposition regarding the Ankita Bhandari murder case. The public is angry about this. The government is facing immense pressure regarding the investigation of the alleged 'VIP'. In such an environment, the resurgence of the 23-year-old Jenny episode has given BJP the weapon to directly attack prominent Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat.
It is being said that BJP is trying to balance the narrative through this issue. BJP has got a reason to put Congress in the dock on women's issues. Political analysts say that this opportunity is not completely risk-free for BJP and may prove to be a double-edged sword. The biggest twist is that years after the Jenny episode, BJP itself inducted Harak Singh Rawat into the party in 2016 and he was a senior cabinet minister in the BJP government from 2017 to 2022.
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Might BJP itself get trapped?
People say that Harak Singh Rawat himself has been in BJP. If he was guilty then why did BJP keep him in power for so many years? Ankita Bhandari's case is deeply connected to the public sentiments of Uttarakhand and the direct demand for justice. People have forgotten the Jenny incident. It is a bit difficult to make a 2 decade old controversy relevant now. Harak Singh Rawat is also getting CBI clean chit. BJP is raising it vigorously. BJP has got an opportunity to divert attention from Ankita Bhandari murder case.