The gathering, which unfolded on the lawns that circle the historic India Gate, brought together the grieving parents of Ankita Bhandari, a 19‑year‑old receptionist whose life was cut short in 2022 at a resort in Uttarakhand.
Police arrested three men within 24 hours of the incident, and a Special Investigation Team was later formed. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed that a life‑sentence was handed down by a local court after the evidence was presented.
The controversy intensified when, on Oct. 9, 2026, former BJP national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam was sworn in as governor of Sikkim. Uttarakhand Congress chief Ganesh Godiyal condemned the appointment, alleging that Gautam had been named as the "VIP" in the murder probe and that the Central Bureau of Investigation had made no progress.
The family’s demand now is that the CBI must finalize its investigation before Gautam takes office, a deadline the bureau’s director, Sanjay Bhatia, said would be met by December 2026.