&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Ankita Bhandari’s parents detained after overnight India Gate protest; released later: Why are they protesting")
The Delhi Police on Thursday morning (Oct 15) brought an overnight protest at India Gate demanding justice for Uttarakhand murder victim Ankita Bhandari to an abrupt endand detained her parents, Congress leaders and other demonstrators around 4 am. The protest erupted after BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam was appointed the governor of Sikkim on Monday. Later, news agency ANI reported that they have been released from Tilak Marg Police Station. Just a day ago, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met Bhandari's parents and expressed solidarity with them.
Why are they protesting?
The family of Bhandari staged a demonstration against the recent appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim, citing alleged links to the murder plot. They called for an immediate halt to his constitutional posting pending a central investigation. Ankita, a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was murdered on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24, 2022. The resort owner, Pulkit Arya, son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two staff members, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were arrested, chargesheeted and on May 30, 2025, sentenced to life imprisonment by Additional District Judge Reena Negi in Kotdwar for murder, destruction of evidence and other charges. The murder trial established that resort owner Arya and his accomplices killed Bhandari after she refused to provide special or sexual services to a visiting “VIP” who remains unidentified.
How is Dushyant Kumar Gautam linked to the case?
Though Gautam is not legally or judicially involved in the case, his named surfaced in connection of the case in late December 2025 when a television actress named Urmila Sanawar released recordings on social media in which Bhandari's murder was being discussed. In these clips, she alleged that an elusive "VIP" guest was allegedly Dushyant Kumar Gautam. However, despite this, Special Investigation Team (SIT) police chargesheet never named Gautam or any specific high-ranking politician as that guest.
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What Congress said?
After meeting the parents, in a post on X, Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP and said that for four years, Bhandari's family has not received justice, but "a 'VIP' accused has certainly been rewarded with protection and a constitutional position". "Where rapists and murderers are welcomed with garlands and criminals are honoured with the power of authority - no hope can be expected from such a misogynistic BJP either. "Today, Ankita's parents, carrying the plea for justice for their daughter, are sitting at India Gate, miles away from their home. I and the Congress Party stand with them - in their grief as well as in this fight for justice," Gandhi said in his post.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders Pawan Khera, Jothimani and Imran Pratapgarhi staged a protest inside the police station after being detained earlier in the day. “This is brutality. You can see democracy coming to an end at India Gate. It is ending at 4 am,” Khera said. Hitting out at newly appointed Sikkim Governor Dushyant Gautam, he further alleged that those protesting against the accused were being detained while the person facing allegations could be appointed to a constitutional post.
