INDIA GATE BECOMES A SITE OF DEMAND FOR JUSTICE AS RAHUL GANDHI JOINS ANKITA BHANDARI’S PARENTS AGAINST DUSHYANT GAUTAM’S GOVERNOR APPOINTMENT
October 14, 2026
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi joined the parents of Ankita Bhandari at a sit-in protest at India Gate in New Delhi on Wednesday, October 14, opposing the appointment of former BJP Uttarakhand in-charge Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim. Accompanied by his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other Congress leaders, Gandhi stood alongside the bereaved family as they demanded that Gautam’s appointment be put on hold until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completes its investigation into allegations surrounding the 2022 murder case.
The protest was organised amid renewed controversy over the identity of a purportedly influential “VIP” allegedly connected to the crime. Ankita’s parents have demanded that the investigation be completed before Gautam assumes his constitutional office, arguing that the appointment should not proceed while questions surrounding the alleged involvement of a politically influential individual remain unresolved.
Activist Yogita Bhayana, who joined the family at India Gate, shared a photograph of the sit-in on social media and reiterated the demand that the appointment be halted until the CBI investigation is complete.
“We are still at India Gate, the family's demand is that the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam be immediately halted until the CBI investigation is complete,” Bhayana said.
She claimed that Ankita’s parents had been compelled to leave their home in the mountains and travel to Delhi to seek justice for their daughter. Bhayana alleged that the individual described as the “VIP” in the case had been promoted to the constitutional post of governor despite the unresolved questions surrounding the allegations.
The activist also raised concerns about the demolition of the resort where the crime occurred and alleged that Ankita’s call records had been tampered with. She referred to earlier statements by a woman who had raised allegations about the involvement of a VIP, arguing that these claims had not been investigated adequately.
“These are questions that deserve answers,” the protest’s message conveyed, placing the demand for a completed investigation at the centre of the family’s campaign.
Bhayana also invoked the significance of the Navaratri festival, during which the worship of women and girls is a prominent tradition. She questioned the circumstances in which an individual whose name has been associated with allegations surrounding a case involving violence against a young woman could be appointed to a constitutional position before the investigation had concluded.
THE 2022 MURDER THAT CONTINUES TO HAUNT UTTARAKHAND
Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist, was killed on September 18, 2022, at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later, triggering widespread public anger and demands for a thorough investigation.
Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were subsequently arrested in connection with the murder. They were later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
However, the case returned to the political spotlight after Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the second wife of former BJP legislator Suresh Rathore, released videos and audio recordings that she described as conversations with Rathore. In these recordings, she alleged that a person identified as “Gattu”, whom she described as a senior BJP leader, was the VIP connected to the Ankita Bhandari case.
The allegations prompted fresh controversy over whether the possible involvement of an influential individual had been adequately examined. Rathore, who was expelled from the BJP, rejected the accusations and alleged that his voice had been generated using artificial intelligence to damage his political reputation.
The competing accounts have not established Gautam’s guilt or proved that he was the person allegedly referred to as the VIP. The controversy centres on demands for further investigation and accountability, with Ankita’s parents seeking clarity before the governor’s appointment proceeds.
CONGRESS INTENSIFIES ITS PROTEST AGAINST THE APPOINTMENT
The India Gate demonstration followed a separate protest in Dehradun on Tuesday, where Uttarakhand Congress leaders and workers staged a one-hour silent sit-in near the Gandhi statue at Gandhi Park. The protest was led by state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal, who opposed Gautam’s appointment as Governor of Sikkim and demanded that the decision be reconsidered.
Godiyal alleged that appointing Gautam before resolving the questions raised in the Ankita Bhandari case would undermine public confidence in the investigation. He argued that the decision had hurt the sentiments of Uttarakhand residents and accused the BJP leadership of using its political authority to shield individuals facing allegations.
Congress state in-charge Kumari Selja also questioned the appointment, arguing that the CBI investigation should have proceeded further before the government elevated Gautam to a constitutional position.
Senior Congress leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat likewise expressed confidence that justice would eventually be delivered, although he did not name the individual he was referring to.
The protests in Delhi and Dehradun demonstrate how the appointment has become a wider political controversy, extending beyond the original criminal case into questions about public accountability, the use of constitutional appointments and the credibility of ongoing investigations.
BJP RESPONDS WITH COUNTER-ALLEGATIONS
The BJP rejected the Congress’s criticism. Uttarakhand BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan questioned why Congress leaders were protesting over what he described as a fabricated issue while remaining silent about allegations of sexual harassment made by Jawaharlal Nehru University students against Congress MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.
Chauhan accused the Congress of applying inconsistent standards when dealing with allegations against political figures and called on its state leaders to address the accusations involving their own party’s MP.
The BJP’s response shifted the political exchange towards competing allegations involving leaders from different parties. However, those separate accusations do not resolve the questions raised by Ankita Bhandari’s family concerning the handling of the murder investigation.
A DEMAND FOR ANSWERS BEFORE A CONSTITUTIONAL APPOINTMENT PROCEEDS
The India Gate sit-in has brought renewed public attention to Ankita Bhandari’s parents, who continue to demand that the questions surrounding the alleged VIP’s involvement be addressed before Gautam’s appointment proceeds.
The family’s position is that the investigation must be completed and the allegations thoroughly examined. Their protest does not establish that Gautam committed an offence, but it reflects their insistence that the controversy should not be set aside simply because the person whose appointment they oppose is moving into a constitutional office.
The dispute now involves the family’s demand for justice, the CBI’s investigation, the political controversy surrounding Gautam’s appointment and competing accusations between the Congress and the BJP. The central question raised by the protest remains whether the investigation will conclusively address the allegations and provide the family with answers about the circumstances surrounding Ankita’s death.
With Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joining the parents at India Gate, the campaign has gained further national political visibility. The family continues to demand that the appointment be halted until the CBI investigation is complete, keeping the unresolved questions surrounding the alleged VIP at the centre of the controversy.