Rahul, Priyanka meet Ankita Bhandari's family protesting over Sikkim Governor appointment

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi met the parents of Ankita Bhandari near India Gate on Wednesday as they protested against BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor, demanding that the move be put on hold until the ongoing CBI investigation into the case is concluded.

Congress leaders Imran Partapgarhi, Pawan Khera and Udey Bhanu Chib also reached India Gate. Police personnel at the protest site said that prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) had been imposed in the area.

Ankita’s parents, Virendra Singh Bhandari and Soni Devi, have urged President Droupadi Murmu not to appoint Gautam as governor until the investigation into their daughter’s murder is complete.

“We earnestly request the Honourable President not to appoint Dushyant Kumar as governor until the CBI investigation is concluded. Dushyant Kumar should be behind bars,” Ankita’s father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, said.

Her mother, Soni Devi, said the family was deeply hurt when it learnt on October 12 that Gautam had been named governor.

“We were deeply pained when we heard the news on the 12th that he (BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam) has now been named governor. I appeal to the Honourable President, who is herself a woman and will surely understand my sentiments, to halt the move to appoint this individual as governor until the CBI investigation against him is concluded,” she said.

Soni Devi broke down while sitting on the pavement near India Gate as she appealed for Gautam’s appointment to be put on hold. The family said it had sought an appointment with President Murmu to raise its concerns.

The parents also warned that they would stage a hunger strike outside the Uttarakhand chief minister’s office at the Secretariat in Dehradun if their demand was not met.

ANKITA BHANDARI MURDER CASE

Ankita, 19, worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. She was murdered on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later.

Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and his two accomplices were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The case also drew political attention over allegations that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime. Ankita’s family and activists have repeatedly demanded an investigation into this alleged VIP angle, with Gautam’s name being raised in connection with the allegations.

Ankita’s father alleged that a VIP played a major role in his daughter’s murder and claimed that Gautam was responsible.

“We have heard that the VIP had a major role in my daughter’s murder. Now, the Centre and the Uttarakhand government have appointed Gautam as the governor of Sikkim,” he said.

“We humbly request the government and the President of India that he should not be appointed Sikkim governor until the CBI investigation into the case is over,” he added.

The allegations against Gautam remain unproven. He has denied the accusations and initiated defamation proceedings against those making them.

CONGRESS OPPOSES GAUTAM’S APPOINTMENT

The protest comes amid opposition from the Uttarakhand Congress to Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor. The party has alleged that his name surfaced in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case and claimed that the appointment was intended to shield him.

The Congress has also argued that a governor cannot be subjected to criminal proceedings while holding office.

Gautam, a former national general secretary of the BJP, previously served as the party’s in-charge for Uttarakhand. He was appointed governor of Sikkim on Monday.

Ankita’s family has maintained that Gautam’s appointment should remain on hold until the CBI completes its investigation into the alleged VIP angle in the murder case.

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