Gangtok/ New Delhi, October 16: Newly appointed Sikkim Governor Dushyant Gautam is scheduled to take the oath of office on October 19, 2026, at Lok Bhawan in Gangtok. The oath will be administered by the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.

President Droupadi Murmu appointed Gautam to the post on October 12, succeeding Om Prakash Mathur, who has been transferred to Keralam.

Gautam’s appointment has triggered a political controversy, with the Congress party staging a major protest outside the main gate of Lok Bhavan in Dehradun on Thursday. The party opposed his appointment, citing allegations and the ongoing investigation into the 2022 murder of Ankita Bhandari.

Following the protest, an FIR was registered against former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat and 30 other Congress leaders. Cases were also registered against Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal, Harak Singh Rawat and Pritam Singh under Sections 132 and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

Congress MP and All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Uttarakhand, Kumari Selja, strongly criticised the BJP over Gautam’s appointment, questioning the decision to appoint a leader whose name, according to the party, has surfaced in connection with the Ankita Bhandari case.

Selja said the Congress was among the first political parties to raise the issue and had continued to stand with Ankita’s family in their demand for justice. She noted that the case had shaken Uttarakhand and raised serious questions across the state.

Referring to the ongoing investigation, Selja said certain names had emerged during the course of the inquiry and questioned the BJP government’s decision to appoint Gautam as Governor amid the controversy.

The Congress leader further alleged that the appointment reflected a disregard for democratic values and public confidence in the justice system. She also questioned the rationale behind appointing individuals to constitutional positions when their names were reportedly being discussed in connection with a sensitive case.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has urged President Droupadi Murmu to reconsider Gautam’s appointment as Sikkim Governor until the investigation into the 2022 Ankita Bhandari murder case is completed.

Ankita Bhandari was murdered on September 18, 2022, and her body was recovered from the Chilla Canal on September 24 that year. The incident sparked widespread outrage across Uttarakhand and renewed demands for accountability and justice.

The controversy surrounding Gautam’s appointment has since intensified political tensions between the Congress and the BJP, with the opposition demanding a reconsideration of the decision while the investigation into the case remains a key point of public concern.