Reconsider Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim gov: Rahul to President

• Rahul Gandhi asks President Droupadi Murmu to seek reconsideration of Dushyant Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor.

• The Congress leader links his demand to the ongoing CBI probe into the alleged VIP angle in Ankita Bhandari’s murder.

• Ankita’s parents continue to seek answers about the alleged VIP connection as the case returns to the political spotlight.

Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday urged President Droupadi Murmu to ask the government to reconsider the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim governor until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completes its probe into the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari.

In a letter to the President, Gandhi said he was writing as a “last resort”, invoking her constitutional authority to return the Council of Ministers’ advice for reconsideration. Gautam, a former BJP leader, was appointed governor of Sikkim on Monday.

Gandhi also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of disregarding women’s safety by advising Gautam’s appointment while allegations linking him to the case remain under public scrutiny.

Ankita’s parents, who staged a protest at India Gate on Wednesday against the appointment, have alleged that Gautam was the unidentified VIP whose alleged involvement in the case has been a subject of controversy. Gautam has not been named as an accused in the case, according to reports.

Gandhi met the family at India Gate and expressed support for their demand for justice. He argued in his letter that constitutional immunity enjoyed by a sitting governor could complicate any criminal proceedings against Gautam if evidence emerged against him, potentially undermining the ongoing investigation.

‘Ankita Bhandari was 19 years old when she was murdered on 18 September 2022. She worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra resort near Rishikesh. Her employer, Pulkit Arya, the son of a BJP leader, pressed her to provide “special services” to VIP guests. She refused. Pulkit Arya and two of his employees killed her. All three are now serving life sentences,’ Gandhi wrote.

He said one question had remained unanswered for four years: who were the alleged VIPs? The Uttarakhand government recommended a CBI investigation in January 2026 following renewed protests and demands from Ankita’s family. The alleged VIP angle remains under investigation.

Gandhi said he was ‘shocked’ by Gautam’s appointment, adding that Ankita’s family and others had alleged a link between him and the crime. He also questioned the pace of the CBI inquiry into the alleged VIP connection.

‘A Governor must command the trust of the people of his State. No one under this shadow can,’ Gandhi wrote, arguing that Gautam’s appointment could undermine public confidence in the investigation.

He said governors were appointed on the advice of the Council of Ministers led by the Prime Minister, but maintained that the President could ask the government to reconsider its advice under Article 74(1) of the Constitution.

‘I request you to ask the Government to reconsider this appointment, and that Mr Gautam not take office until the CBI has completed its investigation,’ Gandhi wrote.

He also referred to Ankita’s refusal to comply with what he called a ‘repellent demand’, saying she had paid for that refusal with her life. Her parents, he said, were still fighting for justice and had been detained by police while protesting against Gautam’s appointment.

‘Please act — provide solace to Ankita’s grieving parents and protect the high post of Governor,’ Gandhi appealed to the President.

Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra resort in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district, was murdered on 18 September 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal several days later.

Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two employees were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The murder triggered widespread protests across Uttarakhand. The case returned to the political spotlight in early 2026 amid allegations concerning an unidentified VIP and demands from Ankita’s family for a thorough investigation into that aspect of the case.

With PTI inputs