[REVISION HISTORY]

Dushyant Kumar Gautam sworn in as Sikkim Governor

Updated 9 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-18 12:10 UTC → 2026-10-19 07:52 UTC · added ~~removed~~

~~Protests over~~ Dushyant Kumar Gautam sworn in as Sikkim Governor ~~appointment in India~~

The appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as the Governor of Sikkim has triggered intense political protests in India. The controversy centers on allegations from the family of Ankita Bhandari, a resort receptionist murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, that Gautam is the unidentified ‘VIP’ linked to the crime. While resort owner Pulkit Arya and two accomplices have been convicted, the Bhandari family maintains that Gautam was involved. They have requested President Droupadi Murmu to withhold the appointment until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completes its probe. During protests at India Gate, Delhi Police detained the Bhandari parents and several Congress members, an action the Congress party condemned as “brutality.” Rahul Gandhi has formally urged the President to reconsider the appointment, citing concerns that constitutional immunity could hinder the investigation. Opposition has expanded beyond New Delhi to Sikkim. The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and the Congress party have demanded Gautam’s removal, with the SDF characterizing the appointment as an “insult” to the women of Sikkim. In Gangtok, Congress members have staged protests demanding his recall. While the CBI has assured the Bhandari family that the investigation will be conducted in a “fair and impartial manner,” political tensions remain high. ~~Gautam, a former BJP national general secretary,~~ Despite the ongoing controversy and calls for transparency regarding call records and location details, Dushyant Kumar Gautam was ~~appointed~~ sworn in as the 19th Governor of Sikkim on October ~~12 to succeed Om Prakash Mathur and is scheduled to take his~~ 19, 2026. The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque, Chief Justice of the High Court of Sikkim, at Lok Bhavan in ~~Gangtok on October 19, 2026. He has denied all allegations~~ Gangtok, in the presence of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and ~~initiated defamation proceedings.~~ other state dignitaries.

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