Gangtok:
Students and locals held a protest at the District Administrative Centre in Sikkim's capital Gangtok opposing the appointment of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor, with demonstrators demanding that the Centre defer his appointment until the ongoing investigation into the alleged 'VIP' angle in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case is completed.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case into the incident and will probe the alleged 'VIP' involvement in the murder of Ankita Bhandari. Dushyant Kumar Gautam is not named in the chargesheet, but the parents of Ankita Bhandari allege he is the "VIP" mentioned in the case.
The leader has denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, raising concern over the appointment, one of the protesters said they do not have a problem with the Gautam being the Governor of the state, but the same should be put on hold until the probe ends. The BJP leader is scheduled to be sworn in as Governor on October 19.
"I don't have a problem with the appointment, but until the case is ongoing or Gautam is given a clean chit, he should not be appointed. That is our only demand," CL Chettri said. "We are ready to apologise if he is proven not guilty, but until then, he should not be appointed," he added.
Students, locals protest in Sikkim
Photo Credit: NDTV
The organiser of the protest, Anjali, said it was a citizen-led initiative and that the participants had come together without political affiliation.
"The sentiments of the people had been building for some time. There is a lot going on, and people wanted a platform to express their beliefs and ideas," she said. Anjali said she decided to take the initiative rather than wait for someone else to organise a protest.
"I decided that I would not depend on someone else to seek permission. So I went to the DC and SP, and they supported and encouraged us to hold the protest here," she said.
She said the demonstration was intended to be peaceful, and their motive was to ensure that citizens could express their concerns while maintaining law and order.
"Just because he gets sworn in does not mean that our voices will become silent. We will keep raising our concerns," she said.
Anjali said the protest was not limited to those present at the dharna, claiming that many others shared their concerns but could not attend.
"There are many people who are not here right now, but their hearts are with the movement," she said.
One of them, Kailash Pradhan, questioned whether the Sikkim government could oppose the Centre's decision, citing Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang's (also known as PS Golay) political alignment with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Pradhan said the Tamang-led government was part of the NDA and had little scope to challenge the appointment.
He also referred to the Chief Minister's conviction before he was sworn in, arguing that the circumstances left the state leadership with limited room to intervene.
"The people are the ones who enable them to be in power. If they want to continue, they should hold the trust of the people," he said.
The protesters maintained that their demand was for the Centre to reconsider the timing of Gautam's appointment until the investigation had addressed the unresolved allegations. They said they were not declaring him guilty, but wanted the inquiry to reach a conclusion before he assumed office.
The gathering brought together people of different age groups together, with organisers saying they would continue to hold peaceful demonstrations and provide a platform for people to express their views.
"Even if the appointment goes ahead, that does not mean we will stop. We will keep organising peacefully and raising our concerns," Anjali said.
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Ankita Bhandari Case
Ankita Bhandari, 19, worked at Vanantra Resort in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district. Resort owner Pulkit Arya and two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2023 for her murder. However, the identity and alleged role of the "VIP" referred to in the case have remained contentious.
The CBI inquiry was recommended by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in January 2026 following renewed public pressure and a request from Ankita's parents. The investigation is examining unresolved questions surrounding the alleged VIP angle.
Amid this, the President's Secretariat announced Gautam's appointment on October 12 as part of a wider Governor reshuffle. The Congress has also urged the Centre to reconsider the appointment until the CBI inquiry is completed.