Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi 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.
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. “Even though the CBI probe is underway, it is depending on the statements of witnesses in lower court. Statements of Urmila Sanawar and Suresh Rathore should be included in the investigation. The call details of the accused were not examined. “We were hurt by the appointment of Kumar as governor. The protest at India Gate came a day after the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (UKPCC), led by its president Ganesh Godiyal, held a silent demonstration in Dehradun against Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor. The Congress has questioned the decision to appoint Gautam while demands for an investigation into the alleged VIP angle remain unresolved. The party has called for accountability and further scrutiny of the allegations. “The allegation was that pressure was put on Ankita to provide services to Dushyant Gautam. When Ankita refused, she was murdered,” the Congress alleged. It accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of rewarding Gautam with the gubernatorial appointment despite the allegations against him.
The Congress accused the BJP-led Centre of protecting Gautam following his appointment as Sikkim governor, alleging that the decision undermined the demand for justice in the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case.
“I request the President not to appoint Dushyant Kumar as governor until the CBI investigation is complete,” he said. I request the President, who is a woman and will understand my sentiments, to halt the appointment of Kumar as governor,” she said.
