Samajwadi Party (SP) MP from Rampur, Mohibbullah Nadvi, on Thursday, 15 October 2026, condemned the detention of the parents of murder victim Ankita Bhandari during a protest near India Gate in New Delhi, saying that suppressing a victim's voice only deepens the suffering of the family. The parents, who had staged a protest on Wednesday demanding the suspension of Dushyant Kumar Gautam's appointment as Governor of Sikkim, were detained by police and released at around 5 am on Thursday.

Background: Why the Parents Protested

Ankita Bhandari, a teenage receptionist from Uttarakhand, was murdered in September 2022. In May 2025, a court in Pauri Garhwal convicted resort manager Pulkit Arya — son of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vinod Arya — along with associates Ankit Gupta and Saurabh Bhaskar, sentencing all three to life imprisonment. According to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), Ankita had been pressured to provide sexual services to resort guests and was killed after she refused.

The renewed protest was triggered by the President's appointment of senior BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Governor of Sikkim. Ankita's father, Virendra Bhandari, has alleged the involvement of an unidentified VIP and has linked certain circumstances in the case to Gautam — allegations that Gautam has not publicly responded to.

What Nadvi Said

Addressing reporters, Nadvi argued that citizens turn to public spaces and the media when they feel deprived of justice, and that the victim's parents were doing exactly that. 'Daughters of the country should not be viewed through a political lens,' he said, asserting that every citizen deserves equal justice regardless of social or economic standing.

On the appointment of Gautam, Nadvi questioned the decision in light of the ongoing investigations, saying that placing someone in a constitutional position under such circumstances was unjust. He was careful to add that he did not intend to question the judiciary and acknowledged that courts have their own procedures — but insisted that society must respond to the suffering of victims and their families as a matter of humanity.

Regarding the overnight detention, Nadvi said that any attempt to intimidate or silence a grieving family only compounded their pain. He maintained that a person's financial standing or political connections should have no bearing on the value of their life or their right to justice.

The Political Dimension

Nadvi also noted that SP leader Dimple Yadav's public call for justice in the case had drawn wider national attention. He alleged that some actors were attempting to divide society along group lines rather than standing united behind the victim. He said efforts to maintain social balance were being obstructed, without naming specific individuals.

Notably, the case intersects sensitive political fault lines: the convicted resort manager is the son of a former BJP leader, and the newly appointed governor is also a senior BJP figure. Critics argue this makes the government's handling of related developments a matter of public accountability, not just criminal justice.

What Comes Next

The case now faces renewed scrutiny with the father's allegations pointing toward an unidentified VIP. Whether investigative agencies re-examine these specific claims remains to be seen. Civil society groups and Opposition leaders are likely to keep pressure on for a transparent inquiry into the peripheral allegations, even as the core criminal conviction stands. The fate of Dushyant Kumar Gautam's governorship in the face of political pressure will also be closely watched in the days ahead.