Ankita Bhandari's Parents Protest Dushyant Gautam's Sikkim Governor Appointment at India Gate
The parents of Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist murdered in 2022 near Vantara resort in Uttarakhand, have launched a protest at India Gate in Delhi against the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as governor of Sikkim. Ankita was killed by Pulkit Arya, son of a BJP minister, after she refused to provide sexual favours to VIPs. Police recovered chats showing Pulkit pressured her to offer "extra services" for ₹10,000, which she refused, stating "being a poor woman does not mean I am willing to sell myself."
Pulkit Arya is serving a life sentence. However, the two VIPs allegedly involved—Dushyant Gautam and Ajay Kumar—reportedly left Uttarakhand quietly as investigations tightened. The announcement of Gautam's gubernatorial appointment has reignited demands for justice in the hill state and triggered protests in the capital.
Ankita's parents, who staged a sit-in at India Gate on October 13, were joined by Congress leaders including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi before being detained by police. The couple have issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the central government to cancel Gautam's appointment and threatened a hunger strike until the accused are punished. A CBI enquiry was ordered by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami earlier this year.
