Ankita Bhandari murder: Parents detained during India Gate protest, released around 5 a.m.

Parents of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, were released early on Thursday (October 15, 2026) morning, hours after being detained while protesting near India Gate.

Police detained the parents during the protest and released them around 5 a.m., sources said.

Several Congress leaders, including party's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, social media department head Supritya Shrinate, and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib, were also detained and later released.

The parents have been demanding that Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor be put on hold until the ongoing CBI investigation into the case is complete.

BJP leader Gautam's name has been repeatedly dragged into the case by Ankita's family and activists as the alleged VIP linked to it. He was appointed the Governor of Sikkim on Monday (October 12).

Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022.

Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices have been convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.

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

Ankita’s father alleged that a VIP played a key role in his daughter’s murder and claimed that Gautam was the one responsible. The allegations against Mr. Gautam, however, remain unproven.

Mr. Gautam has denied the accusations and initiated defamation proceedings against them.

The Congress has claimed that the appointment was aimed at shielding Mr. Gautam, arguing that a Governor cannot be subjected to criminal proceedings while holding office.

A former national general secretary of the BJP, Mr. Gautam had served as the party’s in-charge for Uttarakhand.