‘Will go on hunger strike’: Ankita Bhandari’s parents briefly detained after India Gate protest

Ankita Bhandari’s parents began a sit-in near India Gate to oppose the appointment of former BJP Uttarakhand Chief Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim governor. They want the appointment put on hold while the CBI investigates their daughter’s murder case. The protest connected a public appointment to unresolved questions about the criminal investigation.

Delhi Police detained five people, including Virendra Bhandari and Soni Devi. Congress leader Supriya Srinathe, National Students’ Union of India member Varun Chaudhary, and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib were also detained. They were taken to Tilak Marg police station at 4.30 am.

The group had protested for 10 hours before the detention. Police released them after half an hour. Soni said the family would consider a hunger strike from home if the appointment decision was not revoked. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had met the parents earlier that day.

A hunger strike is a form of nonviolent protest in which a person refuses food to draw attention to a demand. It can create moral and public pressure because the protester accepts personal hardship rather than using force. The article presents it as the family’s possible next step after police stopped their sit-in.

Soni Devi said, “If we are not allowed to sit here,” the family would begin a hunger strike from home. Her stated condition was that the decision to appoint Dushyant Kumar Gautam governor must be revoked. She later appealed to the President to stay the decision, saying the President would understand her emotions.

The article does not say whether the hunger strike began. It only records Soni’s warning after the India Gate protest. The parents’ broader demand is that the appointment remain on hold until the ongoing CBI investigation into Ankita’s death is complete.

Five people were detained after the India Gate sit-in. The group included Ankita Bhandari’s parents, Virendra Bhandari and Soni Devi, plus Congress leader Supriya Srinathe, NSUI member Varun Chaudhary, and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib. The number shows that the police action involved the family and political supporters together.

They were taken to Tilak Marg police station at 4.30 am. The detention came 10 hours after they began their protest near India Gate. Police released everyone after half an hour. Thus, the protest lasted much longer than the period the group spent at the station.

The article describes the detention as brief and does not report charges or injuries. Afterward, Soni said the family would continue its campaign from home through a possible hunger strike. Their demand remained unchanged: Gautam’s appointment should be held back while the CBI investigation continues.

Ankita Bhandari was 19 and worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh. She was killed on September 18, 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Her death became the central issue behind her parents’ protest against Gautam’s appointment.

The case led to convictions against resort owner Pulkit Arya, who was the son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices. The article does not name the two accomplices. It states that all three were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Despite those convictions, Ankita’s parents say the investigation has not been satisfactory. They have alleged that an unidentified VIP was involved in the circumstances leading to her murder. They named Gautam in their allegations, while Gautam denied involvement and began defamation proceedings against those accusing him.

Ankita’s parents believe the appointment should wait because they say important questions about the murder remain unresolved. They allege that an unidentified VIP was involved in the circumstances leading to Ankita’s death and have named Gautam in their allegations. Gautam has denied involvement and initiated defamation proceedings against those accusing him.

Virendra Bhandari also questioned the earlier investigation. He alleged that the SIT did not check Pulkit’s call records between September 18 and September 19, 2022. He asked who Pulkit had been in contact with during that period. The family says the ongoing CBI investigation must examine such issues.

The parents therefore want the President to stay the appointment until the CBI probe is complete. Their demand does not claim that a new appointment would decide guilt. It seeks time for investigators to address their concerns before Gautam takes up the governorship.

In India, a governor is the constitutional head of a state. The President of India appoints the governor. The office represents the Union at the state’s constitutional level, while day-to-day government is generally run by the elected state ministry led by the chief minister. The governor also performs formal constitutional duties.

For example, a governor gives formal assent to bills, appoints a chief minister when required, and addresses the state legislature. These responsibilities can matter during government formation or constitutional uncertainty. The article itself does not describe these powers; this explanation uses established constitutional knowledge to define the office.

The appointment at issue is Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim governor. Ankita’s parents want the President to stay that decision until the CBI investigation is complete. The article records their demand and Gautam’s denial, but it does not say whether the appointment was ultimately changed or paused.

Putting the appointment on hold would change Gautam’s immediate constitutional status: he would not take up the Sikkim governorship while the decision remained suspended. It would address the parents’ demand for time and distance between the appointment and the ongoing CBI investigation. It would not itself establish whether Gautam was involved.

The criminal process would remain separate. The article says Pulkit Arya and two accomplices have already been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. It also says the CBI investigation is ongoing and that the family wants it completed. Holding an appointment would not reverse those convictions or replace the investigators and courts.

It would also not determine the allegations about an unidentified VIP. Gautam denies involvement and has initiated defamation proceedings against accusers. The article does not state what would happen next if the appointment were paused. It only records the parents’ demand and Soni’s appeal to the President.