A pre-dawn law enforcement operation near India Gate brought a dramatic end to an overnight sit-in protest led by the parents of Ankita Bhandari, the 19-year-old receptionist murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022.
Police personnel accompanied by paramilitary units cleared the site around 4:00 AM on Thursday, briefly detaining Ankita’s father, Virendra Singh Bhandari, and mother, Soni Devi, alongside several youth wing activists.
High-Profile Visit and Night-Long Vigil
The Midnight crackdown followed a high-visibility visit by Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday evening. Joining senior party functionaries near Kartavya Path, Gandhi spent over 90 minutes interacting with the grieving parents, who are demanding that the central government halt the appointment of former BJP state in-charge Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim.
“For four years, Ankita Bhandari’s family has not received justice, but an accused has certainly been rewarded with protection and a constitutional position… I and the Congress Party stand with them—in their grief as well as in this fight for justice,” Gandhi stated in a public message following the meeting.
Following the departure of top leaders, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, Pawan Khera, and Supriya Shrinate remained at the site alongside family members, chanting slogans and waving the national flag throughout the night.
24-Hour Ultimatum and Hunger Strike Warning
Visuals from the scene showed police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel moving in under darkness to physically transport protesters away from the junction.
Before being escorted into a police vehicle, Ankita’s father issued a strict timeline to the central government:
“We give a 24-hour ultimatum to the government for the cancellation of Dushyant’s appointment. Nationwide protests will be launched if the government does not accept our demand.”
Concurrently, her mother warned that if public protest sites in the capital remain barred to them, she will initiate an indefinite hunger strike from her residence.
Opposition Directs Scathing Criticism
Congress leadership launched a sharp critique of the early morning clearance, accusing authorities of suppressing peaceful citizens seeking accountability.
“4 AM in the morning. While the world was asleep, Ankita Bhandari’s parents were taken into custody,” Rahul Gandhi wrote, characterizing the action as callous toward a family pursuing justice.
While primary accused Pulkit Arya and two associates were sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2025, the victim’s family maintains that the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe must conclusively examine the alleged “VIP angle” before political figures connected to broader controversies are elevated to constitutional offices.