Dushyant Kumar Gautam was sworn in as Sikkim’s 19th governor on Monday (October 19), despite sustained protests by the family of Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022. Her parents have repeatedly alleged that Gautam, who was then the BJP’s in-charge for Uttarakhand, was connected to the crime.

Sikkim high court Chief Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque administered the oath of office and secrecy at a ceremony attended by chief minister Prem Singh Tamang, judges and other dignitaries. Gautam succeeded Om Prakash Mathur.

The appointment has triggered criticism from the Congress, which has accused the BJP of ignoring the Bhandari family’s demand for justice.

Kumari Selja, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Uttarakhand in-charge, said the party would intensify its agitation, including by gheraoing the Uttarakhand assembly on October 27 and organising yatras across the state.

“Every citizen in Uttarakhand feels that there is no justice in the state. The murder of the young woman in the hill state in 2022 had shaken the country, but justice has not been meted out to this day,” Selja said, reported The Times of India.

The controversy has also drawn attention to Article 361 of the Constitution, which provides immunity to the President and governors from certain legal proceedings while they remain in office.
 

#WATCH | Gangtok, Sikkim: Newly appointed Sikkim Governor Dushyant Kumar Gautam took the oath as the Governor of the State at Lok Bhavan today https://t.co/IH30MXLzcU

— ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2026

Under Article 361 (2), criminal proceedings cannot be initiated or continued against a governor in any court during their term. Article 361 (3) bars processes for the arrest or imprisonment of a governor during that period, while Article 361 (4) provides protection from civil proceedings over personal acts until two months after written notice has been given.

Just a day earlier, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) staged a massive protest in Delhi, demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari, with a large number of participants from Uttarakhand.
 

JUSTICE FOR ANKITA BHANDARI! SACK DUSHYANT KUMAR GAUTAM AS SIKKIM GOVERNOR! A protest was held in Delhi today demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari, with a large number of people from Uttarakhand joining the demonstration. CPI(ML) Liberation Uttarakhand State Secretary Comrade Indresh, along with activists of AIPWA, also joined the protest. Under the BJP regime, those accused of sexual violence continue to receive political protection. The appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor, despite demands for accountability over his alleged role as the “VIP” in the Ankita Bhandari case, has further intensified the demand for justice.

— CPIML Liberation (@cpimlliberation) October 18, 2026

The Bhandari family had begun a sit-in at India Gate on October 14 to protest Gautam’s appointment. Police detained them at around 4 am on October 15 before releasing them later. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met Ankita’s parents during the protest.
 

चार साल से अंकिता भंडारी के परिवार को इंसाफ नहीं मिला, लेकिन एक ‘VIP’ आरोपी को संरक्षण और संवैधानिक पद का इनाम ज़रूर मिला। जहां बलात्कारियों और हत्यारों का फूल-मालाओं से स्वागत होता है और अपराधियों को सत्ता की ताकत से नवाज़ा जाता है - उस महिला-विरोधी BJP से कोई उम्मीद की भी नहीं जा सकती। आज, अंकिता के माता-पिता अपनी बच्ची के लिए न्याय की गुहार ले कर, अपने घर से मीलों दूर, India Gate पर बैठे हैं। मैं और कांग्रेस पार्टी उनके साथ खड़े हैं - उनके दुख में भी और इंसाफ की इस लड़ाई में भी। #JusticeForAnkitaBhandari

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 14, 2026

After the two leaders left, several Congress leaders remained with the family, including Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera, Congress social media department head Supritya Shrinate, Lok Sabha MP Jothimani Sennimalai and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib. They were also detained and subsequently released.

Ankita, 19, was working as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh when she was killed on September 18, 2022. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, was convicted in the case along with resort manager Saurabh Bhaskar and assistant manager Ankit Gupta.

The family’s allegations have focused on the identity of a purported “VIP” guest who, according to several accounts, sought “special services” from Ankita. These accounts have alleged that she was killed after refusing to provide them, with the phrase used as a euphemism for sex work. Her family has identified Gautam as the alleged VIP, a claim that remains an allegation and should not be treated as an established finding of the criminal case.

Questions about the investigation have also been raised by a fact-finding team led by members of the Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, which included 30 representatives of women’s groups and mass organisations.

Despite the convictions in the murder case, the Bhandari family continues to seek answers to its allegations concerning the purported VIP guest.

Gautam’s appointment as governor has now brought those unresolved questions back into the political spotlight, with the Congress preparing further protests in Uttarakhand.