Ankita Bhandari case: Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi meet parents protesting at Delhi’s India Gate

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday (October 14, 2026) met the parents of Ankita Bhandari, who were protesting at India Gate demanding justice for their daughter, and expressed solidarity with them.

Bhandari, who was an employee at a resort in Uttarakhand, was murdered in September 2022.

Mr. Gandhi was accompanied by his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other Congress leaders. He had earlier met Bhandari's parents in August and had said four years have passed and they are still awaiting justice for an unforgivable crime against their daughter.

Bhandari's parents staged a protest near India Gate, demanding that Dushyant Kumar Gautam's appointment as the Sikkim Governor be put on hold until the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into their daughter's murder case is complete.

Bhandari's parents have alleged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mr. Gautam's involvement in the case. He was appointed the governor of Sikkim on Monday (October 12, 2026).

Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was murdered on September 18, 2022.

Her body was found from the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two of his accomplices have been convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.

The case hogged the political spotlight over allegations that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime. Bhandari's family and activists have demanded an investigation into the alleged VIP angle.

The high-profile murder case had triggered widespread protests across Uttarakhand.