Rahul Gandhi writes to President Droupadi Murmu, seeks reconsideration of Dushyant Gautam's appointment as Sikkim Governor

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, urging her to reconsider the appointment of Dushyant Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case. In his letter, Gandhi appealed to the President not to allow Gautam to assume office until the investigation into the case is completed. Gandhi stated that 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari was allegedly murdered after refusing to compromise her dignity for a VIP. He said that even after four years, delays in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Meanwhile, the family of Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in September 2022, made a fresh appeal for justice on Thursday while raising concerns over the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim. Speaking to reporters after an early-morning police action in the national capital, Ankita's parents demanded that the gubernatorial appointment be kept on hold pending a thorough investigation into the unresolved allegations surrounding the case. Ankita's father expressed deep concern over the recent political appointment and issued an ultimatum to the authorities. "Our main issue is that the name of Dushyant Kumar Gautam has come up, and the government has appointed him as the Governor of Sikkim," he said, warning that "If our concerns are not addressed within 24 hours, the people of Uttarakhand will come out onto the streets." The family demanded the immediate public disclosure of location details and call records for both Ajay Kumar and Dushyant Kumar spanning September 18-19, 2022. Questions were raised regarding an old mobile phone belonging to key accused Pulkit Arya, which the family claims the Special Investigation Team (SIT) failed to recover. The family demanded a complete clarification regarding the circumstances under which the resort was demolished, alongside its full reconstruction to preserve physical context and accountability.