Published Oct 15, 2026 | 10:57 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 15, 2026 | 10:57 PM
Rahul Gandhi. (rahulgandhi/Facebook)
Synopsis: The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said Article 361 of the Constitution protects governors from criminal proceedings during their tenure. Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor could complicate the CBI probe. Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Gautam’s appointment, Gandhi said the decision showed disregard for women’s safety. He urged President Murmu to consider Bhandari’s parents’ plight.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, 15 October, urged President Droupadi Murmu to ask the central government to reconsider appointing Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim’s governor.
In a letter sent to the President, the senior Congress leader also asked to defer Gautam’s assumption of office until the CBI completes its probe into the murder of Ankita Bhandari.
Gandhi said he was shocked to learn of Gautam’s appointment. Bhandari’s family had alleged that Gautam was linked to the 19-year-old receptionist’s murder.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said Article 361 of the Constitution protects governors from criminal proceedings during their tenure. Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor could complicate the CBI probe.
Also Read: Delhi police detain slain Ankita Bhandari’s parents in pre-dawn swoop
Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Gautam’s appointment, Gandhi said the decision showed disregard for women’s safety. He urged President Murmu to consider Bhandari’s parents’ plight.
Bhandari’s parents, Virendra Singh Bhandari and Soni Devi, who were sitting in protest against Gautam’s appointment at the India Gate in New Delhi, were detained by the police in a pre-dawn swoop, a few hours after Gandhi had visited them. Police also detained Congress MPs and other leaders and took them to Tilak Marg Police Station. They were later released.
Bhandari was a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh when she was killed on 18 September 2022. The 19-year-old’s body was found four days later in the Chilla canal.
Resort owner Pulkit Arya and his two accomplices were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment. Pulkit is the son of BJP leader Vinod Arya.
Bhandari’s family and activists demanded a probe into the alleged VIP angle, and they linked Gautam to the allegations. Her parents claimed that the VIP who had played a major role in her murder was Gautam.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
