The appointment of former BJP general secretary Dushyant Gautam as Governor of Sikkim on 12 October 2026 has set off protests in Uttarakhand linked to the Ankita Bhandari murder case. Gautam is a Dalit leader who has served as a Rajya Sabha member and a Delhi municipal councillor and once headed the BJP’s Scheduled Caste Morcha. Opponents object because of the long-running claim that a so-called VIP was involved in the killing of Ankita, a 19-year-old resort receptionist whose body was found in a canal in September 2022. Three people, including resort owner Pulkit Arya, the son of a former BJP leader, were sentenced to life imprisonment, but allegations that guests were to be offered sexual favours and that a powerful person was linked to the case never went away.
An FIR against an unidentified VIP was registered in January 2026, and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recommended a CBI investigation on 9 January. The agency has since taken the case records, yet critics say there has been little visible progress. Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal announced a one-hour silent fast at Gandhi Park in Dehradun, calling the appointment highly objectionable. Ankita’s parents, who were detained during a protest and later released, threatened nationwide agitation and issued an ultimatum to the government.
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi met the parents, which has pushed the issue into national politics. The BJP has not offered a detailed public response in the reports available so far. The row now ties a constitutional appointment directly to an unresolved criminal case and an opposition campaign.