ANKITA BHANDARI’S FAMILY ISSUES 24-HOUR ULTIMATUM TO CENTRE: GAUTAM’S SIKKIM GOVERNOR APPOINTMENT AT HEART OF FRESH POLITICAL STORM
October 15, 2026
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 15, 2026: The family of Ankita Bhandari, the 19-year-old woman murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, has intensified its demand for accountability, issuing a 24-hour ultimatum to the Centre to cancel Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor. Ankita’s parents were released early Thursday after being detained during a protest near India Gate against the appointment.
Ankita’s father warned that a nationwide agitation would be launched if the government failed to accept the family’s demand. The parents want Gautam’s appointment put on hold until the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case is completed.
The protest has reignited political controversy surrounding the alleged involvement of a high-profile individual, or “VIP”, in Ankita’s death. Her family and activists have repeatedly demanded that this aspect of the case be investigated, with Gautam’s name raised in connection with their allegations. Gautam has denied the accusations and initiated defamation proceedings against those making them.
PARENTS RELEASED AFTER DETENTION NEAR INDIA GATE
Ankita’s parents were detained while protesting against Gautam’s appointment and were released at around 5 am on Thursday, according to reports. Several Congress leaders who participated in the demonstration were also detained and later released.
Those detained included Pawan Khera, head of the Congress media and publicity department; Supriya Shrinate, who heads the party’s social media department; and Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib.
During his detention, Ankita’s father gave the Centre 24 hours to revoke Gautam’s appointment, warning that failure to meet the demand would lead to protests across the country.
The family’s immediate demand is that the appointment be put on hold while the investigation continues, rather than allowing the controversy surrounding the alleged VIP connection to remain unresolved.
THE UNRESOLVED VIP ANGLE
Ankita worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh. She was killed on September 18, 2022, and 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.
Despite those convictions, allegations concerning the possible involvement of an unidentified VIP have continued to generate public and political attention. Ankita’s family and activists have called for a thorough investigation into that alleged connection, and Gautam’s name has repeatedly surfaced in their claims.
However, the allegations against Gautam remain contested. He has denied wrongdoing and initiated defamation proceedings. His appointment as Sikkim governor on Monday has now become the focal point of the family’s renewed campaign.
CONGRESS QUESTIONS THE APPOINTMENT
The Congress has criticised Gautam’s appointment, alleging that it could shield him from criminal proceedings because of the constitutional position he would occupy as governor.
The party’s criticism forms part of the wider political confrontation over whether the appointment should proceed while the CBI investigation remains underway. The family, meanwhile, has insisted that the government should suspend or cancel the appointment until the investigation is complete.
Gautam is a former national general secretary of the BJP and previously served as the party’s in-charge for Uttarakhand.
The controversy has placed the Centre under pressure from the family and opposition leaders, who argue that the alleged VIP angle must be examined without interference or delay.
A DEADLINE THAT COULD TRIGGER A WIDER PROTEST
The 24-hour ultimatum marks an escalation in the family’s campaign for further scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding Ankita’s death. By threatening nationwide demonstrations, her father has signalled that the family intends to widen the movement if the government refuses to reconsider Gautam’s appointment.
The dispute now centres on two closely connected demands: a halt to the appointment while the CBI investigation proceeds, and a comprehensive examination of the alleged VIP connection to the crime.
The convictions of the resort owner and his two accomplices have established criminal accountability for the killing, but the family’s continuing demands show that questions surrounding the alleged VIP angle remain a source of public concern.
Whether the Centre responds to the ultimatum will determine the immediate direction of the confrontation. For Ankita’s parents, the central demand remains that the investigation be allowed to proceed and that their concerns about the alleged VIP connection receive a full and impartial examination.
