Gangtok,Oct 16: The appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor has triggered protests in the state, with the opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) demanding that the decision be cancelled until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completes its probe into the alleged VIP angle in the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari in Uttarakhand.
The SDF is organising candlelight solidarity and prayer rallies across district headquarters in Sikkim on Friday evening under the banner “Sikkim Stands With Ankita”. Hundreds of participants gathered outside party offices, carrying candles and raising black flags to express solidarity with Bhandari’s family.
In a statement, the party said, “A demand for justice is not bound by state borders,” adding that the people of Sikkim stood in solidarity with the family of the 19-year-old resort worker, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022.
The SDF questioned the appointment, arguing that allegations surrounding the case and the pending investigation into the alleged VIP angle warranted a reconsideration of Gautam’s elevation to the constitutional post.
SDF leader Komal Chamling also questioned the decision, saying Bhandari’s parents had demanded that Gautam should not be appointed Governor until the investigation was completed.
“There are a lot of allegations that are surrounding him with regards to a murder case of 2022 in which a young woman, a 19-year-old woman called Ankita Bhandari, was murdered. Till the time the CBI probe is not completed, Ankita Bhandari’s parents are demanding that Shri Dushyant Gautam should not be made Governor of Sikkim or Governor anywhere,” Chamling said.
The SDF also condemned the detention of Bhandari’s parents by Delhi Police during their protest near India Gate in New Delhi on Thursday. The family has been seeking a halt to Gautam’s appointment until the CBI completes its investigation.
The party raised several questions over the Centre’s decision, asking why the BJP could not select another candidate for the gubernatorial post and whether the concerns of Sikkim’s people were being taken seriously.
It also pointed to what it described as frequent changes in the state’s gubernatorial leadership, claiming that Sikkim had seen four Governors in seven years. The party questioned why Governors in a border-sensitive state were not allowed to complete their terms.
The SDF said it would continue opposing Gautam’s appointment until the CBI probe into the alleged VIP angle was completed and Bhandari’s family received justice.
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The post ‘Sikkim stands with Ankita’: SDF protests Dushyant Gautam’s appointment as Governor appeared first on Hub News.