The parents of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari, who was murdered in Uttarakhand in 2022, were released early on Thursday, hours after being detained during a protest near India Gate, sources said.The couple was detained by the police during the protest on Wednesday and released around 5 am on Thursday, the sources said. They were detained in view of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) being imposed in the New Delhi district, a source added.Several Congress leaders, including party media and publicity department head Pawan Khera, social media department head Supriya Shrinate and Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib, were also detained and later released.Ankita’s parents had staged the protest demanding that the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim Governor be put on hold until the ongoing CBI investigation into the case is completed. Gautam was appointed to the post on Monday.Gautam’s name has repeatedly been raised by Ankita’s family and activists in connection with allegations surrounding an unidentified VIP who was allegedly linked to the crime. He has denied the accusations and initiated defamation proceedings against those making them.Ankita worked as a receptionist at Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, where she was murdered on September 18, 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later.Ankita Bhandari, a receptionist at a resort was murdered in 2022, and (right) BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam. File photoResort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and his two accomplices have been convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.The alleged VIP angle has remained a focus of demands for further investigation, with Ankita’s family and activists seeking clarity on the allegations as the CBI probe continues.