Ankita Bhandari’s parents briefly detained at India Gate, mother threatens hunger strike

The parents of Ankita Bhandari, the 19-year-old receptionist murdered in Uttarakhand in September 2022, were briefly detained by Delhi Police during a sit-in protest at India Gate on Thursday against the appointment of former Uttarakhand BJP in-charge Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim. They were released later.

The family has demanded that Gautam’s appointment be put on hold until the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged VIP angle in their daughter’s murder is completed. Following her detention, Ankita’s mother threatened to launch a hunger strike at their home if the authorities did not allow them to continue protesting.

The parents have urged President Droupadi Murmu to intervene and ensure that all allegations surrounding the case are thoroughly investigated.

Mother threatens hunger strike, father gives 24-hour ultimatum

Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed police personnel taking Ankita’s mother into custody during the protest. She said the family would remain steadfast in its demand until Gautam’s appointment was revoked.

“We want to state that we will remain steadfast until his (Dushyant Gautam) appointment is revoked... If we are not permitted to sit here, we will sit on a hunger strike in our own homes,” she said.

Ankita’s father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government, demanding the cancellation of Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor. He warned that people across the country would take to the streets if the appointment was not revoked and said the government would be held responsible.

Activist Yogita Bhayana also joined the protest, where the family appealed to President Murmu to intervene and ensure a thorough investigation into the alleged VIP involvement in the murder.

The parents have accused Gautam of being responsible, an allegation he has denied. Gautam has not been named as an accused in the murder case, and the allegations against him remain unproven.

Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders condemn police action

The detention drew sharp criticism from Congress leaders, who accused the BJP of protecting an influential person allegedly linked to the case instead of ensuring justice for the family.

On Wednesday evening, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met Ankita’s parents near India Gate and joined their sit-in protest.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said the family had been waiting for justice for four years, alleging that the accused had instead received protection and a constitutional post.

“I and the Congress Party stand with them, in their grief as well as in this fight for justice,” he said.

Congress leaders Supriya Shrinate, Pawan Khera and Kazi Nizamuddin also condemned the police action. Shrinate, who was present at the protest site, questioned the treatment of the grieving parents, saying they had been seeking justice for four years and should not have been subjected to such action.

“What kind of action is this? A heartless act against helpless parents who have been seeking justice for four years. Instead of granting them justice, the main accused is being appointed as a Governor, and on top of that, these parents are being treated with such cruelty,” she said.

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke also criticised the detention, saying it should “make us all ashamed”. In a post on X, he wrote that Ankita’s parents did not deserve such inhuman treatment and questioned why the government was treating its citizens with such cruelty.

What happened in the Ankita Bhandari murder case?

Ankita Bhandari worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district. She was murdered on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later.

Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and his two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were convicted in the case.

However, Ankita’s family has continued to demand a thorough investigation into the alleged involvement of a VIP, maintaining that the circumstances surrounding the murder need to be fully examined.

The demand for a fresh investigation into the alleged VIP angle gained momentum after actress Urmila Sanawar, who claims to be the wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore, released an audio clip purportedly containing a phone conversation between them. In the recording, Rathore allegedly referred to a BJP leader’s involvement in the case.

The clip triggered protests across Uttarakhand, with demonstrators demanding a CBI investigation into the alleged role of the unidentified VIP. Following the protests, the Uttarakhand government ordered a CBI probe in January.

Dushyant Gautam denies allegations

Gautam, who served as the BJP’s Uttarakhand in-charge from November 2020 to August 2026, was appointed Governor of Sikkim on Monday. During his tenure as the party’s state in-charge, the BJP won several elections in Uttarakhand.

Ankita’s parents have accused Gautam of being responsible, but he has denied any connection to the murder. He has filed a case against Rathore, Sanawar, the Uttarakhand Congress unit, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and other unidentified individuals over allegations linking him to the case.

Gautam has not been named as an accused in the murder case, and the allegations against him remain unproven.

The Delhi High Court has also directed the removal of social media posts linking Gautam to the murder, observing that the allegations appeared prima facie defamatory.

The family’s immediate demand is for Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor to be put on hold until the CBI completes its investigation into the alleged VIP angle. Ankita’s parents have vowed to continue their fight for justice and warned that they would resort to a hunger strike if they were prevented from protesting.