2022 Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: Parents oppose Dushyant Gautam's appointment as Sikkim governor, demand CBI probe

The parents of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered at a resort in Uttarakhand in 2022, staged a protest near India Gate on October 14, demanding that Dushyant Kumar Gautam's appointment as Sikkim governor be put on hold until the ongoing CBI investigation into the case is completed.

Gautam, a senior BJP leader appointed as the governor of Sikkim on October 12, has been repeatedly named by Ankita's family and activists as the alleged VIP purportedly linked to the case. However, the allegations against him remain unproven, and Gautam has denied them and initiated defamation proceedings against those making the accusations.

During today's protest, Ankita's mother broke down while sitting on the pavement near India Gate and demanded that Gautam not assume the gubernatorial post until the investigation was complete.

“Dushyant Gautam should not be appointed governor until the CBI investigation is complete,” she said.

Ankita's father alleged that a VIP had played a key role in his daughter's murder and claimed that Gautam was the person responsible. He urged the Centre and President Droupadi Murmu to reconsider the appointment until the investigation into the alleged VIP angle was concluded.

“We have heard that the VIP had a major role in my daughter's murder. Now, the Centre and the Uttarakhand government have appointed Gautam as the governor of Sikkim,” he said.

“We humbly request the government and the President of India that he should not be appointed Sikkim governor until the CBI investigation into the case is over,” he added.

The family said it had sought an appointment with President Murmu to raise its concerns. They also warned that they would stage a hunger strike outside the Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Office at the Secretariat in Dehradun if their demand was not met.

What is the Ankita Bhandari murder case?

Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later.

Resort owner Pulkit Arya, the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The case triggered widespread public outrage and political controversy over allegations that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime. Ankita's family and activists have since demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged VIP angle, with Gautam's name being raised in connection with the allegations.

Gautam has denied the accusations, which have not been established through the investigation or a court finding cited in the supplied account.

Congress questions Gautam's appointment

The protest came amid opposition from the Uttarakhand Congress to Gautam's appointment as Sikkim governor. The party has alleged that his name surfaced in connection with the Ankita Bhandari case and claimed that the appointment was intended to shield him.

The Congress has also argued that a governor cannot be subjected to criminal proceedings while holding office.

Gautam, a former national general secretary of the BJP, had served as the party's in-charge for Uttarakhand.

The demand to put his appointment on hold has brought renewed attention to the unresolved allegations surrounding the alleged VIP angle in the case, even as the three accused convicted in Ankita's murder have been sentenced to life imprisonment.