Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the parents of Ankita Bhandari at their protest near India Gate in Delhi on Wednesday, as the family demanded action over the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim governor.

The parents have asked that Gautam’s appointment be kept on hold until the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the case is completed. Their protest has brought the Uttarakhand case into the national capital and renewed attention to the family’s demand for a conclusion to the investigation.

What the family is demanding

The protest concerns the proposed appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as governor of Sikkim. Ankita Bhandari’s parents want the appointment paused while the CBI investigation continues.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the protest site and met the family. Their meeting took place near India Gate, where the parents had gathered to press their demand.

Reports published on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, also described the meeting at the India Gate protest site. The reports identified the same demand: a stay on Gautam’s appointment until the CBI inquiry is complete.

Background to the case

Ankita Bhandari was 19 when she was murdered at a resort in Uttarakhand in 2022. The case remains connected to an ongoing CBI investigation, according to the account of the protest and the family’s stated demand.

The development is significant for the family because the proposed gubernatorial appointment has become part of its public appeal for action. The parents are seeking an administrative pause while investigators continue examining the case.

No further decision on the appointment or the investigation was stated in the available information. The immediate next step identified by the protest is the continuation of the CBI investigation and the family’s demand that the appointment remain on hold until it is complete.

Conclusion

Ankita Bhandari’s parents used their India Gate protest to demand that Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor be paused until the ongoing CBI investigation is completed. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met them at the protest site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who met Ankita Bhandari’s parents?

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the family at the protest near India Gate in Delhi.

Q. Where did the protest take place?

The parents staged the protest near India Gate in Delhi.

Q. What are Ankita Bhandari’s parents demanding?

They want Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor put on hold until the ongoing CBI investigation is complete.

Q. Who was Ankita Bhandari?

Ankita Bhandari was a 19-year-old woman who was murdered at a resort in Uttarakhand in 2022.

Q. Which agency is investigating the case?

The case is subject to an ongoing investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, or CBI.

Q. When did the protest take place?

The protest took place on Wednesday, 14 October 2026.