Ankita Bhandari’s parents seek halt to Dushyant Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor; Gautam has denied link to case

The parents of Ankita Bhandari, the 19-year-old resort receptionist killed in Uttarakhand in September 2022, have asked President Droupadi Murmu to withhold the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completes its probe into the case, according to reports by The Week, ANI and IANS. Gautam has denied any link to the case.

The appointment and the protest

President Murmu named Gautam Governor of Sikkim on Monday, 12 October, as part of appointments in six states, PTI reported. He replaces Om Prakash Mathur, who moves to Keralam. The appointment takes effect when he assumes charge.

On Wednesday, 14 October, Bhandari’s parents, Virendra Singh Bhandari and Soni Devi, held a sit-in at India Gate in New Delhi. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met them there, The Week and ANI reported. “We earnestly request the Honourable President not to appoint Dushyant Kumar as governor,” the father said, according to The Week.

Security personnel detained the parents and several Congress MPs at the protest site early on Thursday, 15 October, Scroll reported, citing a post by Congress MP Jothimani that put the time at 3:45 am. ANI reported that the parents were released less than two hours later. The father told IANS the family was giving the government a 24-hour deadline to revoke the appointment, failing which protests would be held in every state.

Statements by parties

• Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said “the person involved in the case is being completely protected by the BJP” and asked the President to withdraw the appointment, ANI reported.
• Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal called the appointment a “direct attempt to save Gautam as no case can be registered against a governor,” according to PTI.
• Gautam has denied the allegations. In a defamation suit, he told the Delhi High Court that he has “never been named as an accused” and has not been charge-sheeted by any agency, News On Air reported.
• On 7 January 2026, Justice Mini Pushkarna, in an interim order, directed the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party to remove social media posts linking Gautam to the case, according to News On Air.

None of the reports reviewed carried a response from the BJP or Rashtrapati Bhavan to the latest protest.

Background of the case

Bhandari worked at the Vanantra Resort near Rishikesh. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal days after she went missing in September 2022. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two others were sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2025, according to Scroll. The family has alleged the involvement of an unnamed “VIP” in the case. Scroll reported that a police special investigation team reportedly found no evidence of the involvement of an influential leader. In January 2026, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the state had recommended a CBI probe, Scroll reported.

Sources: The Week, ANI, Scroll, ThePrint (PTI)