Ankita Bhandari’s father has insisted that if President Droupadi Murmu agrees to meet them, they will request her to review the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim until the CBI investigation into his daughter’s murder concludes.
The father of Ankita Bhandari, Virendra Singh on Thursday, reiterated their demand that if President Droupadi Murmu meets them, then they will urge her to reconsider the appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim’s Governor till the time the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe is completed in his daughter’s murder case.
Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Uttarakhand’s Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices have been convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Want Convicts To Be Hanged, Demands Ankita’s Father
In an exclusive conversation with Times Now Digital, when asked that the three convicts in the case have already been sentenced to life imprisonment, her father said that they are not satisfied with the judgement and want them to be hanged.
The controversy into Ankita’s murder case traces back to 2022 when the 19-year-old resort receptionist in Uttarakhand was found dead. Her body was recovered from a canal.
The case involved allegations that she was being pressured to provide sexual favours to guests at a resort run by Pulkit Arya, the son of a former BJP leader.
The case gained renewed attention after an FIR was registered against an unidentified VIP in January 2026, following allegations and viral audio and video clips referring to the involvement of a VIP.
The Central Bureau of Investigation subsequently registered the case through its Special Crime Branch after Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recommended a CBI probe on January 9, 2026.
The CBI has since taken custody of records related to the case, including the Special Investigation Team report, the police FIR and other documents. The agency is also expected to record the statement of Dr Anil Prakash Joshi, who had filed the FIR.
In this case, the resort owner Pulkit Arya, manager Saurabh Bhaskar, and Ankita Gupta have already been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Our Main Issue Is Appointment of Dushyant Kumar Gautam As Sikkim Guv: Ankita’s Father
In another statement, Virendra Bhandari narrated his ordeal of how they have been living without Ankita in the last four years, adding that they keep remembering her and have not celebrated Raksha Bandhan since then.
Her family made a fresh appeal for justice on Thursday while raising concerns over the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim.
Speaking to reporters after an early-morning police action in the national capital, Ankita’s parents demanded that the gubernatorial appointment be kept on hold pending a thorough investigation into the unresolved allegations surrounding the case.
Ankita’s father Virendra expressed deep concern over the recent political appointment and issued an ultimatum to the authorities.