Gangtok, Oct 17: Dushyant Kumar Gautam, recently appointed as the Governor of Sikkim, will formally take the oath of office on October 19, 2026, at Lok Bhawan in Gangtok. The ceremony will be conducted by the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court. Gautam’s appointment was made by President Droupadi Murmu on October 12, following the transfer of Om Prakash Mathur to Keralam.
The announcement has sparked political controversy, with Congress leaders staging a protest outside Lok Bhavan in Dehradun to oppose Gautam’s appointment. Their objections stem from allegations linking Gautam to the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case in Uttarakhand, which remains under CBI investigation.
An FIR has been registered against former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat and 30 other Congress leaders for their involvement in the protest. Additional cases have been filed against Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal, Harak Singh Rawat, and Pritam Singh under sections 132 and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 2023.
Congress MP Kumari Selja criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party for elevating Gautam to a constitutional role despite ongoing public scrutiny. She argued that the decision undermines both democracy and justice, highlighting the anguish of Ankita Bhandari’s family, who continue to demand accountability.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has also urged President Murmu to reconsider Gautam’s appointment until the investigation into Bhandari’s murder reaches its conclusion.