The controversy over an alleged "VIP" connection to the Ankita Bhandari murder case has drawn renewed attention following Dushyant Gautam's appointment as Governor of Sikkim — Gautam having previously served as the BJP's in-charge for Uttarakhand. Ankita Bhandari, a front-desk worker at a resort on the outskirts of Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, was killed on September 18, 2022; her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal six days later, on September 24.

Three individuals — resort proprietor Pulkit Arya, whose father Vinod Arya had been expelled from the BJP, along with staff members Saurabh Bhaskar and Ankit Gupta — faced arrest, formal charge, and ultimately a life imprisonment ruling handed down on 30 May 2025 by Additional District Judge Reena Negi at Kotdwar, covering convictions for murder, destruction of evidence, and related offences.

Addressing reporters at the Dehradun police headquarters, V Murugesan — holding the rank of Additional Director General of Police with responsibility over Crime and Law and Order in Uttarakhand — conveyed that the three individuals accused in connection with Bhandari's death, who had been working at Vantara Resort under the Laxman Jhula Police Station jurisdiction, were taken into custody within a day of the incident and remain held. A Special Investigation Team was assembled promptly, acting on directions passed down from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the ADG noted.

Investigators' documents referenced a "VIP" designation tied to a particular room, yet law enforcement maintained that the three defendants were convicted on the strength of the evidence gathered against them. Questions about the possible involvement of high-profile individuals have circulated in the period following the killing.

Ankita Bhandari's family has pressed for the identity of the unnamed "VIP" guest connected to the case, with her parents contending that those holding positions of influence have been protected from scrutiny at various points in the investigation. Relatives of Bhandari have taken the position that anyone whose name surfaced during the probe should first receive clearance from investigative bodies before being considered for a constitutional appointment.

Ankita Bhandari's parents held a demonstration at Delhi's India Gate, calling for Dushyant Kumar Gautam's appointment to be deferred until the CBI inquiry into the case reaches its conclusion — a protest that came after a DIG-rank officer from the IPS was placed in charge of the SIT formed to conduct the investigation. Both parents were taken into custody at Tilak Marg Police Station before being allowed to go.

In the aftermath of the police action, the family members put forward a renewed call for accountability while also voicing objections to Dushyant Gautam's appointment to the governorship of Sikkim. Speaking at a briefing convened shortly after officers reached the family's home in the capital, Ankita's parents urged that the gubernatorial nomination process be put on hold pending a thorough inquiry into outstanding questions surrounding the case.

Ankita's father voiced alarm about the political appointment and indicated that action would be required from the authorities. Opponents of the appointment have contended that placing someone facing such allegations into a senior constitutional post would obstruct rather than advance accountability.

Ankita Bhandari's parents subsequently travelled to the Central Bureau of Investigation's Delhi headquarters, where they met with senior officers and handed over details touching on multiple dimensions of the case. Pledges of a thorough, even-handed probe — covering every dimension of the matter — were extended to them by CBI personnel.

Relatives pressed for the prompt release of phone records and location data tied to both Ajay Kumar and Dushyant Kumar across the period of 18 and 19 September 2022. At a hearing, attention turned to an older mobile handset linked to principal accused Pulkit Arya, with his family alleging that the Special Investigation Team had not retrieved the device.

The family also sought answers about how the resort came to be demolished, and pressed for the structure to be rebuilt so that the physical setting and any related accountability could be maintained.