Ankita Bhandari murder: Parents detained during India Gate protest, released around 5 a.m.

Rahul Gandhi, Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) along with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi meets parents of Ankita during their protest at India Gate in New Delhi on October 14, 2026. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Parents of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, were released early on Thursday (October 15, 2026) morning, hours after being detained while protesting near India Gate.

Police detained the parents during the protest and released them around 5 a.m., sources said.

Several Congress leaders, including party's media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, social media department head Supritya Shrinate, and Indian Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib, were also detained and later released.