Rahul, Priyanka join Ankita Bhandari's family's protest against ‘VIP’ Sikkim governor's appointment
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the parents of Ankita Bhandari in New Delhi on Wednesday evening. Together, they staged a sit-in near India Gate against the appointment of former Uttarakhand BJP in-charge Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim.
Adding to this, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other party MPs, stages a sit-in protest at India Gate (Photo by Arvind Yadav / Hindustan Times) The parents of the 19-year-old receptionist, who was murdered in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district in September 2022, have demanded that Gautam’s appointment be put on hold until the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged VIP angle in the case was completed.
Meanwhile, Activist Yogita Bhayana also joined the protest, during which Ankita’s parents requested President Droupadi Murmu to intervene and ensure that the investigation examined all allegations related to the case.
Notably, Gautam served as the BJP’s Uttarakhand in-charge from November 2020 to August 2026, a period during which the party recorded several electoral victories in the state. He was appointed Sikkim governor on Monday.
As per the latest buzz, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi voiced support for Ankita Bhandari’s parents and accused the BJP of protecting a “VIP” accused in the case. On X, Rahul shared the family had been waiting for justice for four years, alleging that the accused had instead received protection and a constitutional position. “I and the Congress Party stand with them — in their grief as well as in this fight for justice,” he shared.
In further updates, In conversation with the media during the protest, Ankita’s father demanded action against Gautam and called for the statements of star Urmila Sanawar and former BJP MLA Suresh Rathore to be included in the investigation.
On top of that, “Dushyant Kumar should go to jail...because of the VIP my daughter was murdered,” he told HT.
He questioned the progress of the CBI investigation, alleging that it relied on statements made by witnesses in the lower court. He also claimed that the call details of the accused had not been examined.
Source: Hindustan Times