Rahul Gandhi Joins Parents of Ankita Bhandari in Protest Over Gubernatorial Appointment

NEW DELHI Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi joined a sit-in protest at India Gate on Wednesday evening, standing alongside the parents of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022.

The demonstration follows the recent appointment of Dushyant Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim on Monday. According to sources within The Indian Express, Gandhi’s office was approached by the victim’s family following the gubernatorial appointment.

The Congress party posted a video on X in which Bhandari’s father appealed directly to the President to cancel Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor until the ongoing CBI probe reaches a conclusion.

The case stems from the September 18, 2022, killing of Bhandari, who worked at the Anantara resort in Rishikesh. She was murdered barely 20 days after joining the establishment, and her body was recovered six days after she was reported missing. An investigation by the Uttarakhand Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) concluded that she was killed after refusing to provide sexual services.

The resort manager, Pulkit Arya—the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya—was convicted for murder, sexual harassment, disappearance of evidence, and under the Immoral Trafficking Act.

During the protests at India Gate, the Congress party accused the BJP of shielding Gautam, alleging that pressure had been put on Bhandari to provide services to him prior to her death. Party leaders claimed the BJP government was attempting to suppress the grieving family’s demands for justice rather than providing it.

Wednesday’s demonstration follows a series of recent off-script protests led by Gandhi, which have included forceful detentions by police personnel during separate demonstrations against the SIR and demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.