Ankita Bhandari's Parents Detained at India Gate After Overnight Protest Over Gautam Appointment

Delhi Police detained Virendra Singh Bhandari and his wife around 4 a.m. on 15 October 2026 at India Gate. The couple had begun an overnight sit-in the previous evening to protest the appointment of BJP national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim. They were released about an hour later.

Ankita Bhandari, 19, was murdered in Uttarakhand in September 2022 while working as a receptionist at a resort. Three men, including Pulkit Arya, son of a BJP leader, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. The family has long alleged that an unidentified “VIP” ordered special services and played a role in her death. They want the CBI investigation into that angle completed before Gautam takes office. Virendra Singh Bhandari told PTI the family gives the government 24 hours to cancel the appointment or face nationwide protests.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the parents at India Gate on the evening of 14 October. They sat with the family and held placards that read “Stop protecting the VIP.” Several other Congress leaders, including Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate and Imran Pratapgarhi, were also detained briefly. Mallikarjun Kharge called the early-morning action the pinnacle of the government’s cowardice. Rahul Gandhi posted that the parents’ only crime was sitting quietly and demanding that Gautam not be made Governor until the probe ends.

Ankita’s mother said she would begin a hunger strike if the family was prevented from protesting. The parents arrived from Uttarakhand on 13 October. Activist Yogita Bhayana accompanied them. Police had earlier tried to persuade them not to demonstrate at the site. The appointment of Gautam was announced days earlier.

The 2022 case remains active at the CBI. No public charge sheet has named Gautam. The family maintains that statements and circumstances link him to the events at the resort. Opposition parties have demanded that the President withhold the appointment until the investigation concludes. The government has not commented on the specific allegations beyond the police action at India Gate.