Gangtok, Oct. 16 -- Opposition parties in Sikkim on Friday objected to the appointment of senior BJP leader Dushyant Gautam as the state's new governor, following allegations that he was the "VIP" who sought favours from Ankita Bhandari, a hotel receptionist in Uttarakhand, before she was killed in 2022.
The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) called his appointment an "insult" to Sikkimese women, while the Congress staged a protest in Gangtok demanding his recall until the CBI completes its investigation into the death of Bhandari.
President Droupadi Murmu appointed Gautam, a former BJP national general secretary, Governor on October 12. His appointment has triggered protests and criticism in several places, including Sikkim, Uttarakhand and Delhi.
In a video statement, SDF women's wing in-charge Komal Chamling said the party stood with Bhandari's parents and demanded that Gautam's appointment be withdrawn until the CBI concludes its probe. "We would like to make our stand very, very clear that we stand with Ankita Bhandari's parents," Chamling said.
Bhandari's parents, who were on a sit-in at India Gate in New Delhi on Wednesday, were detained early the next day and were released after about an hour.
Questioning the Centre's decision, she asked whether it believed the people of Sikkim were "docile" and would accept decisions imposed on them without raising their voices.
"Is this not a recipe for a disaster in a geopolitically border-sensitive state like Sikkim?" she asked.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.