Congress leaders Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate and Qazi Nizamuddin condemned the detention of Ankita Bhandari’s parents, accusing the authorities of using force against a family seeking justice.
BY PC Bureau
NEW DELHI/ October 15: In a pre-dawn crackdown on a protest demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari, Delhi Police detained her parents and several Congress leaders at India Gate on Thursday, drawing sharp criticism from the Opposition over the treatment of the bereaved family.
The protesters were demanding that the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim be put on hold pending an investigation into the alleged VIP angle in the 2022 murder case. Congress leaders accused the authorities of using force against those seeking accountability instead of addressing their demands.
The detentions took place at around 4 am, and those held were reportedly released around 5 am. Congress leaders alleged that women protesters were manhandled and that MPs were subjected to rough treatment during the police action.
Congress leaders Supriya Shrinate, Pawan Khera and Qazi Nizamuddin condemned the detentions, questioning why Ankita’s parents were being removed from a peaceful protest when they had been seeking justice for years.
“This is brutality. You can see democracy coming to an end at India Gate. It is ending at 4 am,” Congress leader Pawan Khera said, accusing the government of acting against the victim’s family and its supporters while proceeding with Gautam’s appointment.
“The one who has been accused will become the governor, and Ankita’s parents will go to jail? We are protesting against rapists, so we will go to jail, and the one who has been accused of rape will become the governor—this is democracy,” Khera said.
The allegations concerning Gautam and the demand for a probe into the purported VIP connection have been central to the protesters’ campaign.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate accused the authorities of treating Ankita’s parents harshly despite their prolonged struggle for justice.
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नरेंद्र मोदी ने सुबह 4 बजे पुलिस भेजकर अंकिता के माता-पिता को गिरफ्तार करवा दिया.
‘VIP’ दुष्यंत गौतम को बचाने के लिए नरेंद्र मोदी ने हद पार कर दी है.
पहले उसे राज्यपाल बना दिया, अब जब अंकिता के माता-पिता इंसाफ मांग रहे हैं तो उनकी आवाज को कुचला जा रहा है.
शर्मनाक! https://t.co/sVpYdYTBGP
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 15, 2026
“What kind of action is this? This is a ruthless action against helpless parents who have been demanding justice for four years. Instead of delivering justice to them, the government is appointing the main accused as a Governor and then treating the parents so brutally,” she said.
Shrinate also questioned the decision to detain women protesters before dawn, describing the police action as an attempt to suppress those demanding answers in the case.
Qazi Nizamuddin, Congress’s Delhi in-charge and an MLA, said the party would continue its campaign until the family’s demands were addressed. He alleged that police personnel arrived late at night and took away the protesters, including women and members of Parliament.
अंकिता भंडारी केस में बड़ी गिरफ्तारी…
Indian Gate से बूढे माँ-बाप गिरफ्तार।
और VVIP गौतम? सिक्किम का गवर्नर… https://t.co/XwTyPjAaFX
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) October 15, 2026
“The family of Ankita Bhandari was holding a peaceful sit-in protest in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi boosted their morale. The police came late at night and arrested the women and us and took us away. Our fight will continue until Dushyant Gautam is behind bars,” Nizamuddin said.
He added that the police should investigate the allegations rather than detain the victim’s family and those supporting their demand for accountability.
“The Congress party will continue this fight. The police should have arrested Dushyant Gautam. Today, with Rashtrapati Bhavan in front of us and the memorial and India Gate behind us, Ankita Bhandari’s parents are being forcibly detained along with all of us. Uttarakhand will never tolerate this, especially at this hour of the night,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met Ankita’s parents during their sit-in protest at India Gate. Their visit came amid mounting demands for scrutiny of Gautam’s appointment and a thorough investigation into the alleged VIP angle.
Ankita’s father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, appealed to the President to defer the appointment until the investigation was completed.
“Dushyant Kumar should be behind bars. I earnestly request the Honourable President not to appoint Dushyant Kumar as Governor until the CBI investigation is concluded,” he said.
Ankita Bhandari murder case
Ankita, a 19-year-old receptionist at a resort in Uttarakhand, was murdered in September 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24, six days after her death.
Resort owner Pulkit Arya, the son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two resort employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were arrested in connection with the case. They were subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on May 30, 2025, by Additional District Judge Reena Negi in Kotdwar for murder, destruction of evidence and other offences.
The renewed protests centre on demands for an investigation into allegations of a VIP connection and opposition to Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor. The allegations against Gautam remain distinct from the convictions secured in Ankita’s murder case.
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