Protests demanding his removal in connection with the Ankita Bhandari murder case arrested the process of Dushyant Kumar Gautam being sworn in as the 19th Governor of Sikkim at a ceremony held at Lok Bhavan in Gangtok on Monday.
The oath of office was taken by Sikkim High Court Chief Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque while the oath of secrecy was taken by Advocate Sahil Saboo. The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, Council of Ministers, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim, High Court and retired High Court judges, Lok Sabha MP, MLAs and others as dignitaries.
Tamang introduced the newly appointed Governor to the Speaker and to the ministers and legislators and others present on the swearing-in and led him. The Sikkim Armed Police then meted out a ceremonial ‘Guard of Honour’ to Dushyant Kumar Gautam.
On 12th October 2026, Gautam was appointed Sikkim Governor by President Droupadi Murmu. He will replace Om Prakash Mathur on the top post in the state.
Protests Over Appointment
Some residents of Sikkim have voiced concerns about Gautam’s appointment amid the furor over Ankita Bhandari’s murder in Uttarakhand earlier this year.
Last week, in a peaceful show of dissent, youths and citizens without any political affiliations staged a sit-in at the District Administrative Centre here in thein protest against the appointment of the high-ranking BJP leader.
The protesters demanded that the Centre not appoint Gautam but only do so after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has finished its investigation around the “VIP angle” in the Ankita Bhandari case.
The demand is for the case of a prominent person’s alleged involvement. However, the investigation is a different issue altogether and Gautam’s appointment has been a subject of concern that is being voiced in the protests.
Gautam took the oath of office on Monday, despite the protests, to become Governor of Sikkim by virtue of the Constitution.