New Delhi, October 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, urging her to ask the Union government to reconsider the appointment of Dushyant Gautam as Governor of Sikkim and ensure that he does not assume office until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completes its probe into the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari in Uttarakhand.
In his letter, which he shared on social media, Gandhi recalled that 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari was murdered on September 18, 2022. She worked as a receptionist at the Vanantara resort near Rishikesh.
Gandhi alleged that her employer, Pulkit Arya, the son of a BJP leader, had pressured her to provide “special services” to VIP guests, which she refused. He said Arya and two of his employees were convicted in the case and are serving life sentences.
On Wednesday, Gandhi met Ankita’s parents at India Gate, where they were protesting Gautam’s appointment and demanding answers about the case, particularly the identity of an alleged VIP mentioned in a controversial audio clip.
Gautam has secured court protection against the allegation linking him to the case.
“One question has gone unanswered for four years: who were the VIPs?” Gandhi wrote, adding that following protests across Uttarakhand in January this year, the state government had handed the matter to the CBI. He said the investigation was still underway and alleged that the inquiry into the identity of the alleged VIPs was progressing very slowly.
Gandhi argued that appointing Gautam to a constitutional office could complicate the investigation, claiming that criminal proceedings could not be instituted or continued against a Governor while in office and that the appointment would place him beyond the CBI’s reach.
Acknowledging that Governors are appointed on the advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, Gandhi urged the President to exercise her constitutional role and ask the government to reconsider its advice.
“By long convention, the President has the right to warn the government, and Article 74(1) gives you the power to ask for advice to be reconsidered,” he wrote, adding, “That is why I write to you, as a last resort.”
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