Police detained Ankita Bhandari’s parents at 4 AM on Thursday at India Gate. They were released about an hour later, around 5 AM. During the detention, Ankita’s father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Centre: cancel Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor, or face a nationwide agitation.
Updated: October 15, 2026, 10:05 AM IST
Quick Read
- Ankita Bhandari’s parents were detained by Delhi Police near India Gate around 4 AM on October 15 and released about 5 AM.
- Her father gave the government 24 hours to revoke Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor; they want it put on hold till the CBI probe ends.
- Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the parents’ sit-in at India Gate on October 14 evening; several Congress leaders were also detained and later released.
What happened at India Gate
Delhi Police picked up Ankita Bhandari’s parents while they were protesting near India Gate in the early hours of Thursday. The Hindu and the Indian Express report the detention happened around 4 AM, and the couple was released from custody at roughly 5 AM.
They were not alone. Police also detained several Congress leaders who had joined the protest: the party’s media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, social media department head Supriya Shrinate, and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib. Activist Yogita Bhayana was with the parents at the sit-in. All of them were released later.
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The 24-hour ultimatum
It was during the detention that Ankita’s father went public with the family’s toughest demand yet.
“We give a 24-hour ultimatum to the government for the cancellation of Dushyant’s appointment. Nationwide protests will be launched if the government does not accept our demand,” he told PTI Videos, according to The Hindu.
The family wants Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor put on hold until the ongoing CBI investigation into the case is complete. That probe is looking at the alleged “VIP angle” — the family’s long-standing claim that a powerful person was linked to their daughter’s murder. Those allegations have never been proven.
Ankita’s mother, meanwhile, told reporters the family would keep protesting until Gautam’s appointment was revoked — and that she would sit on a hunger strike at home if they were denied permission to demonstrate, ABP Live reported.
Who is Dushyant Kumar Gautam
Dushyant Kumar Gautam is a BJP leader and the former Uttarakhand BJP in-charge. He was appointed the Governor of Sikkim on Monday, October 12. That appointment is what triggered the family’s renewed protest in Delhi.
The family and activists have repeatedly named him in connection with the alleged VIP angle in the Ankita Bhandari case. Gautam has denied the accusations and initiated defamation proceedings against those making them, the Deccan Herald reported, citing PTI.
The case behind the protest
Ankita Bhandari was 19. She worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh. She was killed on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later.
Resort owner Pulkit Arya — the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya — and two accomplices have been convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment, the Indian Express reports.
But the case never really left the headlines. The allegation that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime kept it politically alive, and the family has demanded a full investigation into that angle. That demand is now what the CBI probe is examining.
Also read: 2 FIRs Filed Over INDIA Bloc’s March to the Supreme Court
Why this flared up now
The protest gained serious weight on Wednesday evening, when Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined the parents at their sit-in at India Gate. Priyanka Gandhi was seen hugging Ankita’s mother.
That image — the Leader of Opposition sitting with the parents of a murdered 19-year-old — is what turned a Delhi protest into a national headline. NDTV, Zee News, ABP Live, the Indian Express and the Economic Times all led with it on Thursday morning.
Also read: Jantar Mantar de-notified: 3 new Delhi protest venues
What happens next
The 24 hours are ticking. If the government does not act on the demand, the family has promised nationwide protests. Congress has thrown its weight behind the family, so the agitation is unlikely to stay a two-person sit-in for long.
Two things are worth watching. First, whether the CBI probe into the alleged VIP angle moves any faster now that the spotlight is this bright. Second, whether the Centre touches the appointment of a serving Governor at all — that is a rare step, and the government has given no sign of doing it.
For now, the parents are home. The demand stands.
FAQ
Why were Ankita Bhandari’s parents detained?
They were holding a sit-in protest at India Gate against Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor. Delhi Police detained them around 4 AM on October 15 and released them about an hour later, at around 5 AM.
Who is Dushyant Kumar Gautam and why do the parents oppose him?
He is a BJP leader, formerly the party’s Uttarakhand in-charge, who was appointed Governor of Sikkim on October 12. The family alleges he is the “VIP” linked to their daughter’s 2022 murder — an allegation he has denied and filed defamation proceedings over. The CBI is probing the alleged VIP angle.
What is the 24-hour ultimatum about?
Ankita’s father told PTI Videos the government has 24 hours to cancel Gautam’s appointment. If the demand is not met, the family will launch nationwide protests. They want the appointment put on hold until the CBI investigation is complete.
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