New Delhi: Delhi Police detained the parents of Ankita Bhandari around 4 am on Thursday, October 15, 2026, during their overnight sit-in protest at India Gate, and released them around 5 am, according to police sources cited by The Hindu and The Indian Express. The parents have been holding the sit-in to demand that the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim be put on hold pending the completion of the CBI investigation into the alleged VIP angle in Ankita's murder case.
Gautam, a former Uttarakhand BJP in-charge, was appointed Sikkim Governor on Monday, October 12, 2026. The family's demand is that the appointment be kept in abeyance or revoked until the CBI probe is complete. Allegations raised by the family and activists linking Gautam to the case remain unproven, The Hindu reported; no response from Gautam to the allegations has been published in the reporting so far.
Opposition leaders visit, then detained
On Wednesday, October 14, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the parents at the sit-in; Priyanka was seen hugging Ankita's mother. During the overnight police action, Congress leaders Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate, Qazi Nizamuddin and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib were also detained and later released. The Congress accused the police of manhandling demonstrators and assaulting democratic rights.
Escalation ahead
Ankita's mother said she would begin a hunger strike at home if the authorities did not allow the family to protest. Her father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government to cancel Gautam's appointment, warning of nationwide protests if the demand is not met.
The protest draws on a case that gripped national attention in 2022: Ankita Bhandari, 19, a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of expelled former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on May 30, 2025, by the Kotdwar court.
Sources:
- Ankita Bhandari Murder: Parents Detained During India Gate Protest, Released Around 5 a.m. — The Hindu
- Ankita Bhandari's Parents Detained at 4am During Protest at Delhi's India Gate, Mother Threatens Hunger Strike — Hindustan Times
- Ankita Bhandari's Parents Briefly Detained After India Gate Protest — The Indian Express
Gautam, a former Uttarakhand BJP in-charge, was appointed Sikkim Governor on Monday, October 12, 2026. The family's demand is that the appointment be kept in abeyance or revoked until the CBI probe is complete. Allegations raised by the family and activists linking Gautam to the case remain unproven, The Hindu reported; no response from Gautam to the allegations has been published in the reporting so far.
Opposition leaders visit, then detained
On Wednesday, October 14, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the parents at the sit-in; Priyanka was seen hugging Ankita's mother. During the overnight police action, Congress leaders Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate, Qazi Nizamuddin and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib were also detained and later released. The Congress accused the police of manhandling demonstrators and assaulting democratic rights.
Escalation ahead
Ankita's mother said she would begin a hunger strike at home if the authorities did not allow the family to protest. Her father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the government to cancel Gautam's appointment, warning of nationwide protests if the demand is not met.
The protest draws on a case that gripped national attention in 2022: Ankita Bhandari, 19, a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of expelled former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on May 30, 2025, by the Kotdwar court.
Sources:
- Ankita Bhandari Murder: Parents Detained During India Gate Protest, Released Around 5 a.m. — The Hindu
- Ankita Bhandari's Parents Detained at 4am During Protest at Delhi's India Gate, Mother Threatens Hunger Strike — Hindustan Times
- Ankita Bhandari's Parents Briefly Detained After India Gate Protest — The Indian Express
