Sr.Journalist and activist fighting for justice in late Ankita Bhandari case arrested on SC ST charge. People protested at Srinagar demanding his immediate release
Senior journalist and activist, editor, publisher of a regional Hindi weekly JAGO UTTARAKHAND Ashutosh Negi who had been fighting relentlessly against the Uttarakhand administration demanding justice for late Ankita Bhandari , an innocent 19 years old girl of Dobh Shrikot village in Pauri Garhwal district who was brutally killed after mysteriously missing since 18 September in 2022 from Vanantara Resort in Yamkeshwar block near Rishikesh has been arrested today under the SC ST Act in Pauri township where he lives.
Journalist and activist Ashutosh Negi along with the traumatised parents of Ankita Bhandari had been in protest Dharna at Srinagar Garhwal for the last few days where large number of locals and concerned people from other areas of Uttarakhand were thronging.
An investigative journalist also exposing corruption in the state , Ashutosh Negi had last year exposed a scam by a college management in Garhwal as a result of which some senior officials were arrested . This resulted in animosity and vindictive attitude of the affected parties against journalist Ashutosh Negi and a case under SC ST Act was registered against him on the complaint by a person allegedly close to the person arrested in this scam.
Ashutosh had himself informed through a brief post on social media platform X yesterday that he had got a clue from some reliable local police sources that he may be arrested but he didn’t disappeared or applied for anticipatory bail. Ashutosh Negi was arrested today at Pauri township sending outrage among the local inhabitants and the news going viral in social media.
Several persons , social activists and the traumatised parents of late Ankita Bhandari today protested at Srinagar shouting slogans holding postcards, demanding the immediate release of the senior journalist blaming the BJP for arresting him to stifle his voice n those seeking justice in Ankita Bhandari case as Negi n others were relentlessly fighting to seek justice for Ankita Bhandari and mobilising local populace. His wife who is working in a government department at Dehradun has also been arbitrarily transferred to Pithoragarh who temporarily got reprieve by the High Court after the transfer has been deferred for some time. His both the daughters are minor and studying in Dehradun whose studies will be adversely affected by the arbitrary transfer citing illogical reasons.
Ashutosh Negi had last year also filed an SLP ( Special Leave Petition ) in Supreme Court through senior supreme court advocate and leading human right activist Collin Gonsalves demanding CBI enquiry in the case.
The issue was also raised by the Pratap Nagar, Tehri Garhwal lawmaker Vikram Singh Negi in the assembly condemning the state administration for transfering his wife arbitrarily and stopping all the advertisements to his news paper vindictively.
