Gangtok: Dushyant Kumar Gautam took oath as Sikkim's 19th Governor on Monday, even as the Congress tied his appointment to an unresolved murder case and accused the Centre of shielding him.
Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court A. Muhamed Mustaque administered the oath of office and secrecy to Gautam at a ceremony at Lok Bhavan in Gangtok. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, members of the Council of Ministers, judges and legislators were present.
After the ceremony, Tamang welcomed the new Governor with a traditional khada and introduced him to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Deputy Speaker, cabinet ministers and MLAs. The Sikkim Armed Police later gave him a ceremonial guard of honour.
President Droupadi Murmu appointed Gautam as Sikkim Governor on October 12. He succeeds Om Prakash Mathur, the state's 18th Governor, who took office on July 31, 2024.
The Congress attacked the ruling BJP at the Centre over the choice. AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttarakhand Kumari Selja said a person whose name is linked to a massive scandal was being seated in the Raj Bhavan of Sikkim. 'The VIP whose name came up — Dushyant Gautam — was never even questioned. Instead, he is being seated in the Raj Bhavan, on a throne, so that no legal action can be taken against him,' she alleged.
Bhandari's parents and the Congress have been protesting against the appointment. Ankita Bhandari worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh and was murdered on September 18, 2022. Her body was found in the Chilla canal four days later. Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case had triggered protests across Uttarakhand over allegations that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime. Gautam has not been questioned in the case.