Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Meet Ankita Bhandari’s Parents on Dharna at India Gate, Demand Withholding of Dushyant Gautam’s Appointment as Governor Till CBI Completes its probe

Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Meet Ankita Bhandari’s Parents on Dharna at India Gate, Demand Withholding of Dushyant Gautam’s Appointment as Governor Till CBI Probe Completes

New Delhi: In a major political development, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP and AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today met the aggrieved parents of Ankita Bhandari who are sitting on dharna near India Gate in Delhi.

The parents, Virendra Singh Bhandari and Soni Devi, along with social activist Yogita Bhayana, have been sitting on protest since this morning against the elevation of former Uttarakhand BJP in-charge Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim despite the ongoing VIP probe in the Ankita Bhandari murder case.

According to sources, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi reached India Gate after learning about the parents’ dharna. The traumatised parents told the Congress leaders that they have been running from pillar to post for the last four years to get justice for their daughter by bringing the alleged VIP to justice.

The parents alleged that their daughter was killed because she bravely refused to provide “special services” to a VIP guest at Vanantara Resort in Ganga-Bhogpur where she worked as a receptionist.

The parents demanded that the President withhold the appointment of Dushyant Gautam as Governor till the CBI probe into the VIP angle is completed.

The Leader of Opposition assured Ankita’s father of full help and support at every level and said he would raise the issue at the highest forum, including in Parliament.

In an emotional moment, AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi hugged Ankita’s mother Soni Devi, who broke down and has been crying inconsolably since morning. Priyanka shared her grief, consoled her and assured every possible help and support in their fight for justice.

Activist Yogita Bhayana, who is sitting with the parents, said Delhi Police had earlier tried to remove them from India Gate and asked them not to sit with posters. The parents handed over their posters to the police but continued their silent dharna.

President Droupadi Murmu on October 12 appointed Dushyant Kumar Gautam, former BJP National General Secretary and former Rajya Sabha MP, as Governor of Sikkim. He assumed charge on October 13, replacing Om Prakash Mathur who has been shifted to Kerala as Governor. This was part of a six-state gubernatorial reshuffle.

The VIP angle surfaced after purported audio clips of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore allegedly naming Gautam and another BJP functionary as VIPs at the resort went viral earlier this year. Gautam has denied all allegations, termed it malicious and prima facie defamatory and filed a defamation case. Uttarakhand Police had earlier said no VIP was involved. Delhi High Court had also observed that linking Gautam to the case was baseless.

After massive public outrage, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami recommended a CBI probe on January 9, 2026. CBI’s Special Crime Branch registered the case and took custody of SIT report and other documents. Just last Friday, two CBI officers reached Pauri and questioned Ankita’s parents for several hours. An FIR against an unidentified VIP was registered in January 2026 following viral clips.

Congress Protest in Dehradun: On Tuesday, Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress President Ganesh Godiyal and other leaders observed a one-hour silent fast at Gandhi Park, Dehradun in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue. Godiyal said appointing a person named as VIP by Ankita’s parents as Governor hurts sentiments of Uttarakhand and is an attempt to give immunity as no case can be registered against a Governor. Congress in-charge Kumari Selja has also questioned the appointment.

Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two staffers Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta were convicted by a Kotdwar court in May 2025 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Congress said the India Gate meeting shows the party stands with the daughters of the country and will not allow the case to be buried under constitutional immunity.