Rahul Gandhi's visit, crackdown, hunger strike threat: Inside a long night at India Gate during protest by Ankita Bhandari's parents

On Thursday night, a police crackdown in Delhi's India Gate prevented a sit-in protest by the parents of Ankita Bhandari, whose murder in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district in September 2022 sparked the demonstration. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha and a Congress MP, had joined the protest the previous evening, along with several party leaders and workers.

The parents demanded that Dushyant Kumar Gautam, a former Uttarakhand BJP official, be prevented from taking up the Governor position in Sikkim until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completes its probe into allegations of a VIP angle in the case. Following Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera and Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, the protest resumed with Congress leaders and workers raising slogans.

Police intervened before dawn, detained Ankita's parents and removed party workers from the site. Rahul Gandhi returned with his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other Congress leaders to show support for the grieving family. The protest, near India Gate and Kartavya Path, continued into the early hours as police detained the family and moved away protesters.

Ankita's father threatened a 24-hour hunger strike if Dushyant's appointment was not revoked, while her mother vowed to continue her sit-in at home if the demand was not met. Congress leaders criticized the police action, alleging it targeted those fighting for justice for Ankita Bhandari and opposing Gautam's appointment.