Ankita Bhandari murder: Parents meet Rahul Gandhi during India Gate protest, urges President not to appoint Dushyant Gautam as Sikkim guv

With BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam picked as governor of Sikkim, Ankita Bhandari's parents on Wednesday urged President Droupadi Murmu to put his appointment on hold as they sought justice for the murder victim.

Ankita’s parents, Virendra Singh Bhandari and Soni Devi, on Wednesday protested at the Indian Gate. During the protest, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and other Congress leaders, including Pawan Khera, Udey Bhanu Chib and Imran Partapgarhi, also reached the site. The Opposition leader stated that the Congress party stands firmly with Ankita's family and will continue to support their demand for complete justice and accountability.

"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 said.

Her mother said they were deeply pained when they heard about Gautam's appointment as governor.

This is not the first time that Rahul is meeting Ankita's parents. During a previous meeting in August, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha pointed out that four years have passed and they are still awaiting justice for an unforgivable crime against their daughter.

Ankita, 19, who was working as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, was murdered on September 19, 2022. Her body was found from the Chilla canal four days later. An SIT investigation revealed that she was forced to provide sexual services and was killed when she objected to their demands.

Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were convicted under sections relating to murder, sexual harassment, disappearance of evidence and the Immoral Trafficking Act. Later, they were sentenced to life.

However, the victim's parents alleged that BJP leader Gautam was also involved in the murder.