Gangtok: While the parents of Ankita Bhandari were detained by the police during an overnight protest at India Gate against the appointment of senior BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor, the Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) staged a dharna in Gangtok and demanded that the Union government withdraw the appointment until the ongoing CBI investigation into the alleged VIP angle in the murder case is completed.
Addressing the gathering, SPCC president Gopal Chettri questioned the decision to appoint Gautam to a constitutional office while allegations linked to the high-profile case remain unresolved. He appealed to President Droupadi Murmu to intervene and ensure that Gautam does not assume office until the investigation is complete.
“The Ankita Bhandari murder case is a very high-profile case. A young woman working as a receptionist at a resort in Uttarakhand was allegedly pressured by the resort owner to provide ‘special services’ to an unnamed VIP. She refused, and her body was subsequently found in a canal,” Chettri said.
The parents of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, were released this morning hours after they were detained while protesting near India Gate in central Delhi while seeking justice for their daughter.
“We want to state that we will remain steadfast until his (Dushyant Gautam) appointment is revoked… If we are not permitted to sit here, we will sit on a hunger strike in our own homes,” Bhandari’s mother told reporters at India Gate.
Her father said the government must cancel the appointment within 24 hours.
“If it is not revoked, the people across the entire country will take to the streets, and the government will be held responsible,” he said.
Ankita, 19, worked at Vanantra Resort in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district. Resort owner Pulkit Arya and two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2023. However, the identity and alleged role of the VIP mentioned in the case have remained controversial and have not been revealed.
Gautam’s name has surfaced in allegations concerning the alleged VIP connection, but he has not been named as an accused in the murder case, and no court has established his involvement.
Gautam has denied the allegations.
“The question that has been raised is: who was the VIP? Ankita’s family has been demanding answers, and the name of Dushyant Kumar Gautam, who was then the BJP’s in-charge for Uttarakhand, has surfaced in the controversy. The CBI investigation has been recommended, but the family’s concerns remain,” SPCC president Gopal Chettri said.
The investigation was recommended by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in January 2026 following renewed public pressure and a request from Ankita’s parents. The inquiry is examining unresolved questions surrounding the alleged VIP angle.
Chettri argued that appointing a Governor while such allegations remain under investigation raised serious questions about accountability.
“A Governor holds a very important constitutional position and is responsible for upholding the Constitution in a state. This is not an ordinary post. How could the BJP government recommend someone whose name has surfaced in such a serious controversy for this constitutional office?” he said.
The Congress leader also criticised the detention of Ankita’s parents by Delhi Police during their overnight protest at India Gate on October 15. The parents had urged the Centre to reconsider Gautam’s appointment and demanded justice for their daughter.
“What kind of government is this? Instead of listening to Ankita’s parents, who have been seeking justice, the police detained them. They were treated as though they were criminals simply for raising their voices,” Chettri alleged.
Chettri also cautioned the Centre against assuming that Sikkim’s peaceful political environment meant people would remain silent. “Sikkim is a peaceful border state, and its people are peace-loving. But peace should not be mistaken for silence. People here are educated and aware, and they will raise their voices when they believe something is wrong,” he said.
The President’s Secretariat announced Gautam’s appointment on October 12 as part of a wider gubernatorial reshuffle. The Congress has urged that he not assume office until the CBI inquiry is completed, saying the appointment should be reconsidered to protect public confidence in constitutional institutions.
With inputs by Pankaj Dhungel
