‘Stop protecting the VIP’: Ankita Bhandari’s parents detained at 4 am in Delhi

The parents had spent the night at India Gate demanding justice for their daughter, Ankita Bhandari. Their vigil was called a dharna, or protest sit-in. It focused on allegations surrounding a powerful “VIP” linked to the resort connected with Ankita’s death.

At about 4 a.m., Delhi Police arrived and ended the protest. Officers took the parents away while they were reportedly wailing. The parents were transported to Tilak Marg police station. The action followed an overnight vigil that had drawn Congress leaders and workers.

The police intervention became a new flashpoint. Videos spread online, and Congress leaders protested outside the station. The parents’ detention also intensified the political dispute over Ankita’s case, especially after BJP leader Dushyant Gautam was appointed governor. Ankita’s father urged the President to pause that appointment until a CBI inquiry is completed.

A dharna is a protest in which people sit at a public place to press authorities over a demand. It is a form of public demonstration. In this case, Ankita Bhandari’s parents held a dharna at India Gate to seek justice after their daughter’s murder in Uttarakhand in 2022.

The parents arrived from Uttarakhand on Wednesday evening. They sat with activist Yogita Bhayana and displayed a placard reading, “Stop protecting the VIP.” Their protest concerned allegations that someone had sought “special service” at the resort where Ankita worked, and that her resistance was connected to the events before her death.

The sit-in mattered because it placed the family’s demand in a prominent public space. Congress leaders joined overnight. Police ended the dharna before dawn, taking the parents to a police station. The family later urged the President to delay Dushyant Gautam’s governorship pending a CBI inquiry.

The overnight vigil was politically prominent because senior Congress figures and multiple party organisations stood with Ankita Bhandari’s parents. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited on Wednesday evening. AICC general secretary KC Venugopal came later. Their presence gave the family’s demand national political visibility.

After the senior leaders left, scores of Congress MPs, MLAs, Youth Congress workers, and NSUI workers joined the dharna. Named participants included Uttarakhand MLA Qazi Nizamuddin, MPs Pawan Khera, Jothi Mani, and Imran Pratapgarhi, and leaders from Congress’s women’s, youth, and student organisations. The vigil continued until early morning.

The article does not give an exact headcount, but it describes the gathering as involving scores of party representatives and workers. Its reach was evident after police action: videos circulated, and leaders tried to stop the bus carrying detainees. Congress leaders then joined protests at Tilak Marg police station.

Ankita Bhandari’s death is the central reason her parents continue demanding justice. The article states that she was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022. It presents the case as unresolved politically because questions remain about a “VIP” allegedly connected to the resort where she worked.

According to the article, Ankita resisted pressure to provide “special service” at the resort. The resort was then owned by the son of a BJP leader. Her body was later found in a canal. Those reported circumstances led to a murder case, though the article does not describe the charges, evidence, or trial outcome.

The case returned to public attention after Dushyant Gautam, identified as a BJP leader, was appointed governor. Congress alleged that Gautam was the VIP in question. That allegation is not presented in the article as a proven legal finding. Ankita’s father sought a pause in the appointment until a CBI inquiry is completed.

The “VIP” refers to the unidentified person allegedly connected to a request for “special service” at the resort where Ankita Bhandari worked. The article says the resort was then owned by the son of a BJP leader. Ankita reportedly resisted the pressure, and her body was later found in a canal.

Congress said there were allegations that Dushyant Gautam was the VIP. It also accused the BJP government of protecting him after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed Gautam governor of Sikkim. These are political claims reported in the article. The text does not provide independent evidence confirming Gautam’s identity as the VIP.

That distinction matters. The article establishes that a controversy exists, not that every allegation is true. A CBI inquiry, evidence, and due legal process would be needed to determine whether Gautam was involved or whether anyone protected him. Ankita’s father asked the President to hold the appointment until that inquiry is completed.

The police breakup changed the protest from a family vigil into a broader confrontation. Delhi Police took Ankita Bhandari’s parents away at about 4 a.m. and brought them to Tilak Marg police station. The parents had been demanding justice and opposing alleged protection of the “VIP.”

The action produced immediate political resistance. Videos went viral. Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib, NSUI president Vinod Jakhar, and others tried to intercept the bus carrying detainees. Congress leaders then joined protests at the police station, objecting to the treatment of the parents. The article does not report arrests or charges against those leaders.

The controversy also gained fresh attention after Dushyant Gautam’s appointment as governor. Congress accused the government of suppressing the parents’ voice. Ankita’s father appealed to the President to pause the appointment until a CBI inquiry. The article does not state what decision followed that appeal.

Criminal investigations separate public accusations from facts that can support legal action. Investigators collect and verify evidence, such as testimony, records, forensic material, and communications. They must examine competing explanations rather than assume that a political allegation is true. The article does not describe the evidence gathered in Ankita Bhandari’s case.

Due process then gives the accused a fair chance to respond. Prosecutors must present a case under the relevant law. A court evaluates admissible evidence and decides whether the legal standard for guilt has been met. An appointment, public accusation, or social media claim is not itself proof of criminal responsibility.

Here, Congress alleged that Dushyant Gautam was the “VIP,” while the article does not establish that claim. Ankita’s father requested a CBI inquiry, but the article provides no outcome. Further investigation and judicial proceedings would be needed before the allegation could become a proven legal finding.