Gangtok, Oct 17 (PTI) The opposition SDF on Saturday demanded that the CBI inquiry into the murder of Ankita Bhandari be completed before Governor-designate Dushyant Gautam assumes office in Sikkim, holding candlelight vigils across four locations in the state to express solidarity with the victim’s family.
The party held district-wide vigils at its headquarters in Gangtok and district offices in Namchi and Gyalshing, besides its Jorethang party office.
The opposition parties have been alleging that Gautam, a senior BJP leader, was the “VIP” who sought favours from Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old hotel receptionist in Uttarakhand, before she was killed in 2022.
“The SDF calls for a fair and impartial examination of the outstanding questions raised by Ankita’s family and reiterates that the CBI inquiry must be completed before Dushyant Gautam assumes office as Governor of Sikkim,” the party said in the statement.
A total of 108 candles were lit at each location in memory of Bhandari, symbolising remembrance, solidarity and the demand for justice, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) said in a press statement.
Komal Chamling, vice president in charge of the SDF Women’s Front, earlier described Gautam’s appointment to the gubernatorial post while the inquiry remains pending as “an insult to the people of Sikkim”.
Raising concerns over the constitutional immunity available to Governors under Article 361 of the Constitution, the SDF statement said, “Anyone found responsible must be held accountable in accordance with the law.”
Bhandari’s family deserved justice, the opposition party said.
Bhandari, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case drew political attention over allegations that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime. Bhandari’s family and activists have called for an investigation into this angle, with Gautam’s name being raised in connection with the allegations.
Gautam has denied the allegations and initiated defamation proceedings against those making them.
In a letter to President Droupadi Murmu recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that no criminal proceedings can be instituted or continued against a governor and appointing Gautam as governor places him “out of reach” of the CBI, which is probing the case. PTI COR NN
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