Uttarakhand: Politics erupts over renaming Government Nursing College Dobh after Ankita Bhandari; opposition accuses the government of lying

The Government Nursing College in Dobh, Pauri, has been renamed after Ankita Bhandari. A government order to this effect has been issued by the Health Secretary. However, while the Ankita Bhandari murder case has fueled political tensions in the state, the delay in renaming the nursing college has also sparked a political controversy.

The main reason for this is that on September 16, 2023, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had announced that the Government Nursing College in Dobh would be renamed after Ankita Bhandari. Despite a considerable amount of time having passed since then, no government order was issued. However, now that the Ankita Bhandari murder case is once again in the spotlight, and opposition parties and various social organizations are demanding a CBI inquiry,

the Uttarakhand government has issued a government order renaming the nursing college as “Late Ankita Bhandari Government Nursing College Dobh (Shrikot) Pauri.” This has led to opposition parties, including the Congress, and other organizations questioning why it took so long to implement the announcement made nearly two and a half years ago, especially since the demand had been raised several times. This has resulted in a political uproar in the state.

On this entire matter, Congress state president Ganesh Godiyal said that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami should provide a clarification. He pointed out that the Chief Minister had made a similar announcement in September 2023 regarding renaming the nursing college after Ankita Bhandari. He questioned whether the statement made in 2023 was false, or whether the statement made now by the Chief Minister is false. “Both statements made by Chief Minister Dhami are false. Because the authority to change the name rests with the Nursing Council of India, not the Uttarakhand government. Therefore, the process hasn’t even begun yet. So, the CM was lying then, and he is lying now.” – Ganesh Godiyal, State President, Congress

Meanwhile, on this entire matter, BJP State President Mahendra Bhatt has accused the Congress of creating a negative atmosphere. He says that the Congress is only trying to spoil the atmosphere in the state by raising such issues. The public is watching all this.

“This is a political and baseless issue. These issues arise when political parties have no development issues to talk about. They don’t have any issues related to the problems of the region. Therefore, raising such issues is merely an attempt to pollute the atmosphere of the state, and the public is watching everything.” – Mahendra Bhatt, State President, BJP

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami says that the name of the Government Nursing College, Dobh, has been changed to ‘Late Ankita Bhandari Government Nursing College Dobh Shrikot (Pauri)’. The government stands firmly with the victim’s family. Ensuring justice for them is the government’s top priority.

“From the beginning, the intention was to name the Government Nursing College, Dobh, after Ankita Bhandari. Government orders have been issued to this effect.” – Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister