Ankita Bhandari was a 19-year-old receptionist at Vanantra resort in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district. She went missing in September 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. Her murder sparked nationwide outrage over allegations that she was pressured to provide sexual favours to guests. Resort owner Pulkit Arya and two employees, Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2025.
National Students' Union of India activists organised a candle march towards Jantar Mantar along Raisina Road in Delhi, demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari. Protesters raised slogans criticising the appointment of the Sikkim Governor and called for a fast-paced investigation into the case. Demonstrators stated they took to the streets to amplify the concerns of Bhandari's parents. Large contingents of Delhi Police and paramilitary personnel set up barricades along the route to halt the demonstration. The protest follows an earlier demonstration where opposition leaders and student activists gathered before being stopped by police authorities.
The Supreme Court heard petitions challenging the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, issuing notices to the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Justice Surya Kant addressed attempts to pressure the judiciary.
Social activist Yogita Bhayana and Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC engage in a heated debate over the ongoing investigation into the four-year-old Ankita Bhandari murder case. Bhayana, who accompanied Bhandari's parents to protest at India Gate, demanded swift justice and accountability regarding an alleged VIP named in the case. She insisted, 'Give him a clean chit through the CBI first,' before conferring official posts like governor. Shaina NC countered by questioning the political motivations and timing of leaders like Rahul Gandhi joining the agitation, highlighting alleged political theatrics and pointing to sexual harassment allegations at JNU. While both guests concurred that crimes against women must transcend partisan lines without selective outrage, Bhayana urged Parliament to dedicate a special annual session specifically focusing on women's safety.
The murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari is back in focus following a sit-in protest at India Gate by her parents, who were visited by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra before being briefly detained by Delhi Police. The family has issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding that the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Gautam as Sikkim Governor be halted, alleging links to the case that warrant ongoing investigation by the CBI. Pulkit Arya and two others were previously sentenced to life imprisonment in 2025. With Uttarakhand elections scheduled next year, Congress has raised questions over the appointment amid the pending probe, while Gautam has dismissed the allegations and initiated defamation proceedings.
Congress Member of Parliament and former Union Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury addressed allegations against Manipur MP Bimol Akoijam following an internal inquiry committee report at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Defending the due process, Chowdhury stated, "If he's guilty, hang him. No one's going to protect him." She denied claims of selective outrage by the party, arguing that the outrage remains uniform and that allegations must undergo the established legal and judicial framework before action is taken. Furthermore, she raised concerns over the handling of the Ankita Bhandari case, demanding justice for women and questioning the actions of law enforcement authorities regarding the treatment of protesting families.
A major political row has erupted over the Ankita Bhandari case after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu regarding Dushyant Gautam's appointment. Calling on the President to intervene before oath-taking, the letter urged the government to reconsider the appointment and ensure Gautam does not assume office until the investigation concludes. The move follows a meeting at India Gate between opposition leaders and Bhandari's parents. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami hit back at the opposition, alleging that a sensitive matter is being turned into a political flashpoint ahead of the state assembly elections.
The parents of Ankita Bhandari were briefly detained by Delhi Police and later released following an overnight sit-in protest at India Gate. Joined by opposition leaders, the parents staged the demonstration against Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dushyant Gautam's appointment as Sikkim Governor, seeking a halt to the decision. The broadcast noted that Gautam's name has not emerged in the investigation so far, and Delhi High Court had previously directed the removal of posts linking him to the 2022 Uttarakhand murder case. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had also met the parents at the protest site.
The Uttarakhand government has rejected claims of a botched investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case, stating that swift arrests were made within 24 hours of the complaint, an SIT was set up immediately, and a charge sheet was duly filed against the accused. Meanwhile, Ankita Bhandari's parents and opposition leaders held protests in the national capital, demanding justice and raising allegations regarding the involvement of political figures. The parents also protested at India Gate against the appointment of Dushyant Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim, demanding the appointment be cancelled. The case remains under investigation to identify the alleged VIP involved.
At Delhi's India Gate, activist Yogita Bhayana and the parents of Ankita Bhandari staged a protest raising concerns over the slow pace of the investigation into her 2022 rape and murder. The demonstration also opposed the appointment of Dushyant Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim, as opposition party leaders and the parents have named him among the accused in the matter. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and several senior Congress leaders and Members of Parliament arrived at the site to express solidarity with the protesting parents. The Ankita Bhandari murder remains a prominent political issue ahead of the upcoming elections in Uttarakhand.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi met the parents of Ankita Bhandari alongside activist Yogita Bhayana during a protest at India Gate, where the family demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry and questioned the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Gautam as Governor of Sikkim. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah clashed politically with the Congress over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, accusing the opposition of protecting infiltrators for vote banks, while Congress leaders questioned deportation data and alleged voter deletions. In Uttar Pradesh, a Meerut court awarded the death penalty to Muskan Rastogi and Sahil Shukla for the murder, dismemberment, and concealment of Saurabh Rajput's body in a cement-sealed drum following a thirteen-month trial. Legal experts, including former Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Vikram Singh and Supreme Court Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, analyzed whether the case qualifies as the rarest of rare on India First amid wider political debates on electoral roll revisions.
Delhi Police sent Cockroach Janata Party leaders Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka to Tihar Jail on five days of judicial custody for entering Jantar Mantar following its denotification as a designated protest site.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met the parents of Ankita Bhandari near India Gate in New Delhi, extending solidarity as the family staged a dharna. Ankita Bhandari, a 19-year-old receptionist at a resort in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, was found murdered in September 2022. While three men, including resort owner Pulkit Arya, were convicted, the family continues to demand a thorough probe into the alleged involvement of a VIP. The latest flashpoint follows the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor, with the victim's parents demanding his punishment and alleging his involvement in the case. The parents also criticised the pace and direction of the Central Bureau of Investigation probe, seeking examination of technical evidence like call records. The political outreach comes ahead of the Uttarakhand assembly elections, returning the high-profile case to the national spotlight.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi met the parents of Ankita Bhandari alongside activist Yogita Bhayana during a protest at India Gate, where the family demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry and questioned the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Gautam as Governor of Sikkim.
Political tensions have intensified in New Delhi following the five-day judicial remand of Cockroach Janata Party members Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka in Tihar Jail. The individuals were detained by Delhi Police after climbing barricades at Jantar Mantar to unfurl the national flag. In response, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke called for a demonstration at Connaught Place Central Park on 16 October. Leaders across the opposition INDIA bloc, including Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, MK Stalin, and Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, criticized the crackdown, while BJP spokesperson Dr. Ajay Alok defended police restrictions citing prohibited protest zones. Meanwhile, televised debates highlighted disputes among student groups, SFI, and Congress representatives regarding democratic rights and assembly restrictions. Indian Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib approached the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court challenging the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site. Concurrently, Rahul Gandhi joined the demonstration demanding justice for Ankita Bhandari near India Gate.
The Cockroach Janata Party has announced a protest at Central Park in Connaught Place, New Delhi, on 16 October, following the five-day judicial remand of its leaders Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka to Tihar Jail.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi is headed to India Gate in Delhi to meet the protesting family of Ankita Bhandari, who was killed in a Uttarakhand resort in 2022. Her parents, staging a dharna demanding justice and a CBI investigation, have brought their ongoing protest to the national capital. The case continues to remain a significant political flashpoint in Uttarakhand amid upcoming assembly elections.
Renewed protests have erupted across Uttarakhand, demanding justice in the Ankita Bhandari murder case. The central demand of the protestors and Ankita's parents is that the recently announced CBI inquiry 'should be done under the Supreme Court judge'. The demonstrations, which intensified after an actress named Urmila Sonawar made new revelations on social media, have led to an 'Uttarakhand bandh' with widespread support in the state's mountain districts. Protesters are alleging the involvement of high-profile 'VIPs' and claiming there has been tampering of evidence. Following the public outcry and intensifying protests on the streets of Dehradun, the government has now added Ankita's father as a complainant in the FIR, which was previously filed based on a complaint by Urmila Sonawar to investigate the alleged VIP angle.
The big talking point of this episode of News Today is the escalating political war over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
A special report details the escalating political conflict over the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The issue has advanced to the Supreme Court after TMC MP Derek O'Brien filed a case alleging procedural irregularities and the 'mass deletion' of nearly 60 lakh voters in West Bengal. Political analyst Yogendra Yadav describes the deletion of 2.89 crore voters in Uttar Pradesh as unprecedented. The BJP has defended the exercise against opposition claims. Internationally, the program features an interview with economist Jeffrey Sachs, who critiques the 'Donald Doctrine' following the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and warns that 'Iran is next'. The report also covers renewed protests in Uttarakhand for the Ankita Bhandari murder case, with public demands for a CBI probe amid allegations of 'VIP' involvement.
In this report, an unidentified speaker highlights the resurgence of protests in Uttarakhand regarding the Ankita Bhandari murder case. Three years after the 19-year-old receptionist was murdered, public outrage has intensified following allegations by actor Urmila Sanavar. Sanavar, identified in the report as the wife of former BJP MLA Suresh Rathod, released audio recordings claiming a VIP’s involvement in the crime. The broadcast notes that while resort owner Pulkit Arya was convicted in May 2025, demonstrators are now demanding a CBI probe into the alleged cover-up. The report also mentions Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami’s rejection of these charges and the police’s denial of any VIP involvement.
