Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has assured Ankita Bhandari’s family that his government will make every effort to ensure justice, days after her parents opposed Dushyant Kumar Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor and sought narco-analysis tests in the case. On 16 October, Ankita’s father demanded that Gautam not be sworn in until narco-analysis tests were conducted on Suresh Rathore and Urmila Sanawar. The family has named Gautam in connection with the alleged “VIP angle” in the case and sought an investigation to establish the identity of the alleged VIP. However, Gautam took oath as Sikkim Governor on 19 October. On 20 October, Dhami said the Opposition was politicising the Ankita Bhandari case. He said all three accused were serving life sentences and that a CBI investigation had been recommended at the request of Ankita’s family. Dhami also said the government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and submitted a 500-page report to the court. He reiterated that the government would stand by Ankita’s family and make every effort to ensure justice. The appointment has renewed questions over the alleged VIP angle in the 2022 murder case. Ankita’s family had asked for Gautam’s appointment to be put on hold until the investigation progressed. Article 361 of the Constitution provides immunity to a sitting Governor from criminal proceedings during their term of office. It also protects the Governor from arrest or imprisonment during that period. The family’s demand for further investigation into the alleged VIP angle remains central to the dispute surrounding Gautam’s appointment.