Ankita Bhandari Murder Case: Victim’s Parents Briefly Detained During Delhi Protest
The parents of Uttarakhand murder victim Ankita Bhandari and several opposition leaders were briefly detained by Delhi Police during a sit-in protest at India Gate in the early hours of Thursday, triggering sharp criticism from Congress leaders.
The protesters were demanding justice for Ankita and questioning the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim amid calls for an investigation into the alleged VIP angle in the case.
The detentions took place at around 4 am, and those detained were released at approximately 5 am.
Congress leaders Supriya Shrinate, Pawan Khera and Kazi Nizamuddin criticised the police action, alleging that protesters seeking justice for Ankita were being targeted and that demonstrators, including MPs, were manhandled during the detention.
Congress MP Pawan Khera accused the authorities of undermining democratic freedoms, questioning why those demanding justice were being detained.
He also criticised the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor, alleging that protesters were facing police action while questions surrounding the alleged VIP angle in the case remained unresolved.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate condemned the detention of Ankita’s parents, stating that the grieving family had been seeking justice for four years. She questioned the decision to detain the parents instead of addressing their demands.
Kazi Nizamuddin, the Congress MLA in charge of the Delhi Pradesh Congress, also criticised the police action. He said the party would continue its campaign until justice was delivered and demanded action against Gautam.
The protesters called for the cancellation or suspension of Gautam’s gubernatorial appointment pending an investigation into the alleged VIP angle in the case.
Earlier on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met Ankita’s parents during their sit-in protest at India Gate and expressed support for the family.
Ankita’s father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, urged the President of India not to appoint Gautam as Governor until the CBI investigation into the alleged VIP angle was completed. The family has expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s decision and demanded accountability in connection with the case.
Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at a resort in Uttarakhand, was murdered on September 18, 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24, 2022.
Resort owner Pulkit Arya, the son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two resort employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were arrested in connection with the murder.
On May 30, 2025, an additional district court in Kotdwar, presided over by Judge Reena Negi, sentenced all three men to life imprisonment for murder, destruction of evidence and other offences.
The family’s demand for further investigation into the alleged VIP angle has continued to fuel public debate and protests.
The latest demonstration in Delhi has once again brought the Ankita Bhandari murder case into the spotlight, with protesters demanding transparency and accountability in the investigation.
