Ankita Bhandari's parents detained, released after India Gate protest

Ankita Bhandari's parents were detained and later released by Delhi Police during a protest at India Gate. Congress leaders, also detained, protested against the police action and the appointment of Dushyant Gautam as Sikkim Governor.

Protest at India Gate Leads to Detentions

Ankita Bhandari's parents, who were detained by Delhi Police during a protest at India Gate in the early hours of Thursday, have been released from Tilak Marg Police Station. Meanwhile, Congress leaders Pawan Khera, Jothimani and Imran Pratapgarhi staged a protest inside the police station after being detained earlier in the day.

At around 4 am on Thursday, Delhi Police detained Ankita Bhandari's parents and several opposition leaders during a sit-in protest at India Gate, where demonstrators were demanding justice in the case.

Political Backlash Over Detentions and Governor's Appointment

Congress leaders Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate, and Qazi Nizamuddin criticised the police action, alleging that the authorities were targeting those demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari and questioning the appointment of Dushyant Gautam as the Sikkim Governor.

Earlier, Congress MP Pawan Khera alleged that the police action reflected a deterioration in democratic freedoms. “This is brutality. You can see democracy coming to an end at India Gate. It is ending at 4 am,” Khera said.

Hitting out at newly appointed Sikkim Governor Dushyant Gautam, he further alleged that those protesting against the accused were being detained while the person facing allegations could be appointed to a constitutional post. Khera said, "Barbarity is happening in this country. The one who has been accused will become the governor, and Ankita's parents will go to jail? We are protesting against rapists, so we will go to jail, and the one who has been accused of rape will become the governor—this is democracy."

Background of Protest and Ankita Bhandari Case

On Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met with the parents of the late Ankita Bhandari during their sit-in protest at India Gate. The grieving family staged a demonstration against the recent appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim, citing alleged links and calling for an immediate halt to his constitutional posting pending a central investigation.

Ankita was murdered on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24, 2022. The resort owner, Pulkit Arya, son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two staff members, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were arrested, chargesheeted and on May 30, 2025, sentenced to life imprisonment by Additional District Judge Reena Negi in Kotdwar for murder, destruction of evidence and other charges.

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