Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi went to India Gate to meet Ankita Bhandari’s parents, who are protesting Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim GovernorThe parents want it put on hold until the CBI has finished its investigation.
Published: October 14, 2026, 11:17 PM IST
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Rahul Gandhi with Ankita Bhadari’s parents at the India GateImage Credit: @RahulGandhi/X
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday joined the sit-in by Ankita Bhandari’s parents at India GateThe parents oppose the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim and have asked President Droupadi Murmu to keep it in abeyance until the CBI probe into the alleged VIP angle concludesAfter meeting the family along with other party leaders, the Congress said justice remains pending in the September 2022 murder of the 19-year-old receptionist at a Rishikesh resort.
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.
चार साल से अंकिता भंडारी के परिवार को इंसाफ नहीं मिला, लेकिन एक ‘VIP’ आरोपी को संरक्षण और संवैधानिक पद का इनाम ज़रूर मिला।
जहां बलात्कारियों और हत्यारों का फूल-मालाओं से स्वागत होता है और अपराधियों को सत्ता की ताकत से नवाज़ा जाता है – उस महिला-विरोधी BJP से कोई उम्मीद की भी नहीं जा सकती।
आज, अंकिता के माता-पिता अपनी बच्ची के लिए न्याय की गुहार ले कर, अपने घर से मीलों दूर, India Gate पर बैठे हैं।
मैं और कांग्रेस पार्टी उनके साथ खड़े हैं – उनके दुख में भी और इंसाफ की इस लड़ाई में भी।
#JusticeForAnkitaBhandari
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 14, 2026
“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 addedRahul 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.
Also Read | Ankita Bhandari Murder Update: Family Refuses To Do Last Rites, Demands To Hang The Guilty | Watch Video
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.
What did Ankita Bhandari’s parents say?
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 processShe said “We were deeply pained when we heard the news on the 12th that he (BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam) has now been named GovernorI 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.”
What is the case?
The protest is linked to the September 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort near Rishikesh, UttarakhandHer family has objected to any individual whose name surfaced during the investigation being appointed to constitutional office without being cleared by investigative agenciesShe was murdered on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24, 2022.
Also Read | Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: Family Agrees For Daughter’s Cremation; Protests Erupt Outside Mortuary
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 chargesMeanwhile, 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 MorchaHe has served as a councillor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and as a Rajya Sabha memberGautam, a Dalit leader, has held several organisational positions within the BJP and has been associated with initiatives concerning Scheduled Caste communities.
