Rahul Gandhi, joined by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, met Ankita Bhandari's parents at their India Gate protest. They are protesting BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam's appointment as Sikkim Governor, urging President Murmu to halt it pending a CBI probe.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday joined the sit-in protest by the parents of Ankita Bhandari at India Gate in New Delhi. Bhandari's parents are protesting against the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor and have urged President Droupadi Murmu to put the appointment on hold until the CBI probe into the alleged VIP angle in the case is complete.
Gandhi, accompanied by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Congress leaders, met the family and expressed solidarity, with the Congress stating that justice for the 19-year-old receptionist murdered at a Rishikesh resort in September 2022 is still pending.
Rahul Gandhi Slams BJP, Pledges Support
In a post on X, he stated that while the victim's family has been waiting four years for justice, individuals associated with the case are being shielded and elevated to constitutional posts.
"For four years, Ankita Bhandari's family has not received justice, but a 'VIP' accused has certainly been rewarded with protection and a constitutional position," Rahul Gandhi said. "Where rapists and murderers are welcomed with garlands and criminals are honoured with the power of authority - no hope can be expected from such a misogynistic BJP either," he added.
Rahul Gandhi further said that Ankita's parents were sitting at India Gate, away from their home, seeking justice for their daughter. "Today, Ankita's parents, carrying the plea for justice for their daughter, are sitting at India Gate, miles away from their home," he said.
Expressing support for the family, the Congress leader said he and his party stood with Ankita's parents in their grief and their fight for justice. "I and the Congress Party stand with them - in their grief as well as in this fight for justice", he said.
Parents Appeal to President Murmu
Earlier, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday met with the parents of the late Ankita Bhandari during their sit-in protest at India Gate in New Delhi. The grieving family is staging 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.
Expressing deep dissatisfaction over the government's decision, Ankita's father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, demanded legal accountability over political appointment, "Dushyant Kumar should be behind bars... I earnestly request the Honourable President not to appoint Dushyant Kumar as Governor until the CBI investigation is concluded."
Reiterating the plea, Ankita's mother, Soni Devi, made a direct emotional appeal to President Droupadi Murmu to intervene and halt the process: "We were deeply pained when we heard the news on the 12th that he (BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam) has now been named Governor. I appeal to the Honourable President, who is herself a woman and will surely understand my sentiments, to halt the move to appoint this individual as Governor until the CBI investigation against him is concluded."
Case Background and Controversial Appointment
The protest is linked to the September 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort near Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. Her family has objected to any individual whose name surfaced during the investigation being appointed to constitutional office without being cleared by investigative agencies.
She 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.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Dushyant Gautam was appointed Governor of Sikkim; he is a former BJP National General Secretary and former president of the party's Scheduled Caste Morcha. He has served as a councillor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and as a Rajya Sabha member. Gautam, a Dalit leader, has held several organisational positions within the BJP and has been associated with initiatives concerning Scheduled Caste communities. (ANI)
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