Gauri Lankesh murder: Karnataka govt forms SIT to probe killing

Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday directed officials to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the murder of senior journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh.

Siddaramaiah, who met senior police officials to take stock of investigation efforts, said the team would be headed by an Inspector General (IG).

Unknown persons shot and killed 55-year old Lankesh, editor of tabloid Gauri Lankesh Patrike outside her residence in Bengaluru’s Raja Rajeshwari Nagar on Tuesday night.

The police have recovered some evidence, Siddaramaiah said.

Footage from one of the four closed circuit television cameras in the vicinity showed a person wearing a helmet firing at Lankesh from a distance of 2-3 feet, Siddaramaiah said. The identity of the assailant remains unknown but Siddaramaiah said this was an “organised crime”.

Lankesh’s body was kept for public viewing in Bengaluru’s Ravindra Kalakshetra and the last rites were performed with full police honours.

Siddaramaiah also said that two persons have been detained in Chikkamangaluru for posting objectionable comments on the incident. Meanwhile, the Union home ministry has sought a report from the Karnataka government, Press Trust of India reported on Wednesday.

Various groups, including journalists, politicians and eminent personalities from across the world voiced their anger on social media against the killing. On Wednesday, journalist groups held protest marches in several cities against the Gauri Lankesh murder and the recent attacks on rationalist thinkers and free speech activists.

“The US Mission in India joins advocates of press freedom in India and worldwide in condemning the murder of respected journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru,” The US embassy in India said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists—an independent organisation that promotes press freedom globally—at least 27 journalists have been killed in India for their work since 1992.

Lankesh was known for her outspoken views on contentious social issues.

The police are investigating all angles to determine the motive, including trying to establish if there are similarities with the killings of rationalists in other parts of the state and country.

The government has failed to make any breakthrough in the August 2015 murder of 77-year-old rationalist thinker M.M. Kalburgi in Dharwad, around 450km from Bengaluru.

Admitting that there has been a delay in nabbing the culprits, Siddaramaiah said the CID team investigating Kalburgi murder is coordinating with the teams probing the killings of Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare. All four of them were killed in similar fashion—shot outside their homes at close range by unknown assailants.

“When a case as sensational as this happens, the pressure is unbelievably high,” S.T.Ramesh, retired Director General of Police (Karnataka) told Mint on Wednesday. He said that there is pressure from all stakeholders including citizens, politicians, activists and the media to show results.

“The police though have to work with available information,” he added.