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Peek TV | October 16, 2026
Will Justice For Ankita Be Left Waiting Outside The Raj Bhavan?
The Fact: Ankita Bhandari’s parents were briefly detained by the Delhi Police after an overnight protest at India Gate. They were demanding that BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor be put on hold until the CBI completes its probe into their daughter’s murder case, alleging that he was the 'VIP' for whom sexual favors were demanded from their daughter. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had joined the protest on Wednesday. The parents, along with some Congress leaders, were taken to Tilak Marg police station around 4.30 am and released around 5 am. Ankita's father has now given the government a 24-hour ultimatum, saying that he will go on a hunger strike and call for nationwide protests if Gautam's appointment is not put on hold.
The Context: Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist, was murdered in September 2022 at the Vanantara resort near Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. The resort was owned by Pulkit Arya, son of then-BJP leader Vinod Arya. Ankita’s body was found in a canal six days after she went missing. Her family and lawyers alleged that she was pressured to provide “sexual favours” to a VIP guest, and her WhatsApp messages that surfaced after her death supported this claim. Pulkit Arya and his two associates were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment last year. The family alleges that the “VIP” was BJP national general secretary Dushyant Kumar Gautam. Gautam has denied the allegation, and the Uttarakhand Police’s SIT said it found no evidence against him. In December 2025, a woman who claimed to be the wife of a former BJP MLA claimed that he told her that the 'VIP' involved in the case was indeed Dushyant Gautam. After renewed protests in January 2026, the Uttarakhand government recommended a CBI inquiry, which is still pending.
The Peek Insight: A murder conviction is important, but it does not end the demand for justice if the family believes a powerful person linked to the case has not been investigated. The clock is ticking for Ankita's family till the time Gautam swears in as the Governor of Sikkim, as in India, sitting governors are legally protected from criminal proceedings. According to Article 361(2), no criminal proceedings can be instituted or continued against a Governor during their term of office. This is a unique constitutional immunity that is granted to both the President of India and the Governors of states. The family demands that Gautam's appointment be put on hold until the CBI inquiry in the case is completed, as no criminal proceedings can continue once he swears in. With the family threatening a hunger strike and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi writing a letter to the President, time will tell whether powerful people connected to the ruling establishment face the same accountability as ordinary citizens.
