Senior Kannada journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, known for her left-leaning outlook and forthright views against Hindutva politics, was shot dead by unidentified assailants at her residence in Bengaluru on Tuesday, police said. Gauri, aged 55, had returned home in her car and was opening the gate when motorcycle-borne assailants fired at her indiscriminately with two bullets hitting her in the chest and one on her forehead, police officials said. She died instantaneously. Four bullets hit the compound wall of her building in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, the officials said. Gauri edited Kannada tabloid ‘Gauri Lankesh Patrike’ besides owning some other publications, and was known for her forthright views against hardline Hindutva politics. Bengaluru police commissioner T Sunil Kumar, along with senior police officers, rushed to the spot and officials said it was not immediately known who carried out the attack and the motive behind it. Police suspected that she was under surveillance of the assailants who must have trailed her closely. [caption id=“attachment_4013587” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A file image of Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh. PTI[/caption] Chief Minister Siddaramaiah termed her death shocking. The chief minister said three police teams have been constituted to probe the killing. Instructions have been issued to crack the case and bring the culprits to book at the earliest, he said. He said recently Gauri had been instrumental in bringing Naxalites into the mainstream and they had surrendered. “It’s shocking news for me. No one who has faith in humanity will ever kill anyone. Gauri Lankesh was secular and helped government bring the Naxals back to the mainstream,” said Siddaramaiah. He wondered why Gauri didn’t tell the government about the threat to her life though she had met him many times. Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy drew parallels between the gunning down of Gauri and rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and M M Kalburgi, allegedly by fringe Hindu groups. Dabholkar was shot dead in August 2013, while Kalburgi was gunned down in August 2015. “Who is behind the incident, is it the Naxals or any other ideological fringe parties were behind the incident will be known only after investigation. It is very premature to hold anybody responsible for the incident,” Reddy said. Siddaramaiah also said he has asked police to get in touch with their Maharashtra counterparts probing the murder of Dabholkar. Police have cordoned off the area around her house. Senior police officials, including Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) M N Anucheth, rushed to the spot to supervise investigation. Karnataka police chief R K Dutta said Gauri had not voiced apprehension about any threat to her life during a couple of meetings he had with her. Asked about who could be the possible suspects in the killing, the officer refused to hazard any guess, saying “let the investigation proceed first.” “I do not know how to react. The assailants should be brought to the book. The case should be handed over to CBI,” Gauri’s brother Indrajit Lankesh said. In a statement, RSS state unit expressed deep sorrow over the “heinous” murder of Gauri. “RSS appeals to the state government to act soon on the criminals responsible and bring them to the book,” it said. Veteran BJP Leader K S Eshwarappa rapped the Siddaramaiah government for “failing” to protect the lives of people, including those of noted writers like Kalburgi and Gauri. Gauri was last year convicted in a defamation case filed by BJP MP Prahlad Joshi over a report published in her tabloid against some saffron party leaders. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore took to Twitter to denounce the incident. “Terrible news from Bengaluru about the heinous murder of Gauri Lankesh. I condemn all acts of violence against journalists,” he said. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said “truth cannot be silenced” and demanded that the culprits be tracked down and punished. “The truth will never be silenced. Gauri Lankesh lives on in our hearts. My condolences &love to her family. The culprits have to be punished,” his office said in a twitter post. BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao said, “The murder of #GauriLankesh is condemnable outright. Onus is on Sh.Siddaramaiah to ensure proper investigation.” “If it is BJP ruled state, Liberals would have cried for emergency, Intolerance, Fascism,” tweeted National Conference leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah. Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan tweeted: “Shocking & tragic! Brave journalist Gauri Lankesh who exposed the BJP has been shot dead in her home in Bangalore!” Gauri was a journalist-activist, known for her anti-establishment, pro-poor and pro-Dalit stand. Among very few woman editors in Kannada journalism, she was a fierce activist, who openly expressed her pro-Naxal and Leftist views. Born in 1962, Gauri was the daughter of legendary Kannada journalist and founding editor of Kannada weekly tabloid ‘Lankesh Patrike’. Her siblings – Kavitha and Indrajit Lankesh – are film and theatre personalities. With inputs from agencies
Gauri Lankesh murder case as it happened: Journo was stalked; killing a professional's job, say police sources
Senior Kannada journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, known for her left-leaning outlook and forthright views against Hindutva politics, was shot dead by unidentified assailants at her residence here today, police said.
 "Gauri Lankesh murder case as it happened: Journo was stalked; killing a professional's job, say police sources")
Watch: Protests by CPI workers and journalists in Lucknow
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee attends candle march against Lankesh’s killing
Participated in a candle vigil from #Kolkata Press Club till Gandhi statue to condemn the murder of journalist GauriLankesh
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 6, 2017
Political parties condemn killing of Gauri Lankesh
Political parties of all hues today came out strongly against the killing of outspoken journalist Gauri Lankesh, with the Congress calling it a chilling reminder of rising intolerance and bigotry and the BJP demanding a swift probe to punish the guilty. A number of chief ministers as well as Union ministers also expressed outrage at the killing of the 55-year-old senior journalist, known for her strong views against right-wing forces.
Condemning the attack, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the party stood with rationalists, thinkers, journalists and the media fraternity.
The CPM also expressed shock over the killing, alleging that it fit into the “familiar pattern of eliminating voices that dare to speak against the climate of intolerance by the RSS and BJP”.
The chief ministers of Punjab, West Bengal and several other states also condemned the killing.
Watch: Teesta Setalvad condemned political violence by Right-wing groups
Watch: Nandita Das says Saadat Hassan Manto wouldn’t have survived in today’s scenario
Gauri Lankesh’s murder adds to the long list of slain journalists: Is India unsafe for scribes?
Even as many are comparing the murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru on Tuesday with the killing of Kannada writer, scholar and rationalist MM Kalburgi two years ago, her death throws sharply into focus, yet again, the ever increasing perils of being a journalist in India.
Five Indian journalists were murdered in 2016, but it doesn’t seem as though anyone is listening.
**Read the full article here**Political parties should come together and condemn this heinous act: Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi, along with several other prominent faces came out in protest agains the murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh. She said that she would appeal to all political parties to stop trying to earn browny points against each other. She said they should rather come together in condemning the incident.
Protest meet at Bandra in Mumbai
Prominent journalists gather in Delhi to condemn Lankesh’s killing
At the protest meeting for #GauriLankeshMurder in Delhi. let us stand as one. Silence is complicty. pic.twitter.com/LwRaxE1xWj
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) September 6, 2017
Smriti Irani condemns killing of Gauri Lankesh
Condemn killing of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh. Hope speedy investigation is conducted & justice delivered. Condolences to the family.
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) September 6, 2017
Gauri Lankesh was stalked for days before killing, killers were professionas: Police sources
The nature of the crime suggests that the killers were aware of Gauri’s routine and whereabouts. India Today TV reported that Gauri would frequently come back late at night and there was no fixed pattern as to when she would come back home.
The investigation so far has revealed that one of the killers was waiting for Gauri near her house and two others are suspected to have followed her home from her office. “The miscreant who was at the house initially opened fire and was joined by the other two. A Honda Dio two-wheeler is said to have been used in the murder operation,” Bangalore Mirror reported.
The CCTV footage recovered from near her home revealed that the killers were apparently wearing helmets and black jackets and escaped after the murder.
What did Gauri Lankesh write that earned her Right-wing’s ire?
A firebrand journalist and a fearless writer, Gauri Lankesh’s views on Right-wing politics are well documented. Be it her scathing criticism of pro-BJP activists threatening Left-wing rationalists, or her views on Centre’s move to deport Rohingya Muslims, or her inhibitions on freedom of press, Lankesh managed to remain on the wrong side of the Right.
Nitin Gadkari says linking killing to BJP ‘irresponsible, baseless and false’
Slamming the statements of Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul, Nitin Gadkari said levelling “untrue” allegations against the BJP and the prime minister is injustice to his party and detrimental to democracy.
“The present government, the BJP or any of its organisations have no connection with the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh,” the road transport, highways, shipping and water resources minister told reporters.
Watch: Visuals of protests against Gauri Lankesh’s murder
Protests by journalists, activists, civil society #Hyderabad calling murder of #GauriLankesh silencing of democracy pic.twitter.com/G85qcqi1nb
— Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) September 6, 2017
Journalist and Gauri Lankesh’s ex-husband’s tribute to slain journalist
Watch: Gauri Lankesh laid to rest with full state honours
Family members & friends gather as noted journalist Gauri Lankesh is laid to rest with state honours in Bengaluru #LankeshMurdered pic.twitter.com/UXSaJGzEQD
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 6, 2017
In Pictures: Karnataka CM Sidaramaiah pays tribute to Gauri Lankesh
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah pays tribute to #GauriLankesh in Bengaluru's Chamrajpet pic.twitter.com/ZjWeZV52jR
— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2017
Trolls tweeting hate messages against slain journalist followed by Naredra Modi
Hate messages against Lankesh
Troll boasting PM Modi as twitter follower, spew venom over dead journalist
Twitter is taken over by condolence messages for Gauri lankesh, a strong writer who never shied aay from criticising the Right-wing ideology. However, several twitter users were seen trolling the murdered journalist. The hateful messages not only raised eyebrows in the civil society, but several people pointed out that a few of the the troll twitter handles were followed by PM Modi
Politicos spar over journalists’ killings
In the aftermath of the murder of staunch Right-wing critic Gauri Lankesh, politics has started picking up. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi suggested that the journalist was killed for her anti-BJP/ RSS views.
However, the BJP has condemned his “nonsensical’ comments as the party threatened to take Gandhi to the court for levelling unverified allegations.
AAP to organise candle light vigil at India Gate from 6 pm
Join Candle light vigil at India Gate from 6 p.m. today (6th September, 2017) . #RaiseVoice #GauriLankeshMurder pic.twitter.com/Ciumdg8rIV
— Vikas Yogi (@vikaskyogi) September 6, 2017
Kanhaiya Kumar expresses shock at Gauri Lankesh’s assassination
Deeply shocked and saddened at the cowardly murder of #GauriLakesh! She was like a mother to me. She will always be alive in my heart. pic.twitter.com/6x4u5UaXqt
— Kanhaiya Kumar (@kanhaiyakumar) September 5, 2017
#GauriLankesh taught me to speak truth to power. She was fearless in her fight against hate. We resolve to carry on her struggle. pic.twitter.com/SnbZ0RnFkS
— Kanhaiya Kumar (@kanhaiyakumar) September 5, 2017
Police tallying CCTV footage from Lankesh’s residence with Kalburgi case
Sources have said that the CCTV footage recovered from the cameras outside Lankesh’s residence offered some clues leading to the killers in the case.
The Police is now tallying the footage gathered from the CCTV outside Gauri’s home to that of murder of Kalburgi. The CCTV footage needs to be sent for image enhancement, claim cops. Only then a clearer picture would emerge and help the cops come to the conclusion if the killers were the same, a senior police officer told Firstpost.
Ballistic reports suggest weapon used in Lankesh’s murder similar to those in Pansare’s, Dabholkar’s killings
CID sources said that a 7.65mm pistol was used to kill Gauri Lankesh is similar to the weapon used in the killing of other rationalists, whose murders remain unsolved to the day.
Sources at Gujarat Directorate of Forensic Sciences said that the three high-profile murders, had used similar modi operandi and firearm, an earlier report by The Times of India stated.
Watch: Crucial CCTV footage from outside Gauri Lankesh’s residence
#BREAKING – Critical CCTV footage accessed in #GauriLankesh murder case pic.twitter.com/So1vB39Cak
— News18 (@CNNnews18) September 6, 2017
Last rites of Gauri Lankesh to be performed at Chamarajpet
Family members & friends gather as mortal remains of Gauri Lankesh were brought to Ravindra Kala Kshethra, Bangalore #LankeshMurdered pic.twitter.com/vnyjW6VL5H
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 6, 2017
US Condemns Murder of Journalist Gauri Lankesh
“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. We offer our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Ms. Lankesh”
Writers’ forum condemns ‘unmaking of India’, vows to fight against haters of free speech
The Indian Writers’ Forum termed the murder of the 55-year-old journalist, known for her left-leaning outlook and forthright views on Hindutva politics, “a chilling continuation” of the series of killings of rationalists, writers, scholars and activists like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi.
The forum remembered Lankesh as a person who performed her duties as a journalist and a citizen with “uncompromising honesty”.
“She was guided by democratic, secular values, that insist on an India in which speaking up against division and hatred is every citizen’s right,” it said.
BJP MP Varun Gandhi condemns killing of Gauri Lankesh
This message reminds me of the irony that a woman of scholarship & courage was assassinated on Teacher's Day. RIP #GauriLankesh pic.twitter.com/RX2cgrylsi
— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) September 6, 2017
‘A jail stint for me would have warmed the cockles of their (Hindutva brigades’) hearts!’
In an earlier interview given to NewsLaundry, Gauri spoke about the propaganda against the few dissenting voices against the ruling dispensation. Referring to the killings of MM Kalburgi and Govind Pansare, she said “the Hindutva brigade welcome the killings and celebrate the deaths of those who oppose their ideology, their political party and their supreme leader Narendra Modi… they are keen to somehow shut me up too. A jail stint for me would have warmed the cockles of their hearts!”
Amnesty International India condemns Gauri Lankesh’s murder
**"**The killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh by gunmen outside her residence in Bengaluru on Tuesday night raises alarms about the state of freedom of expression in the country," said Amnesty International India today.
“Gauri Lankesh was never afraid of speaking truth to power. Her assassination must be thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice,” said Asmita Basu, Programmes Director at Amnesty International India
BJP MP Subramanian Swamy digs out 12-year-old article to suggest family feud could have killed Lankesh
BJB MP Subramanian Swamy hinted that tfamily feud could have been the reason behind journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder. Taking to Twitter, he shared an article published in Times of India, and captioned it “Is it getting murkier?” The article in question, mentioned Gauri complaining that her brother Indrajit had threatened her with a revolver during a family brawl.
It is instructive to note, however, that the article was published over 12 years ago,
Is it getting murkier? pic.twitter.com/G7gHXSwZD8
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) September 6, 2017
Youth from Chikmagalur detained on suspicions of assassinating Gauri: Sources tell Firstpost
Sources quoting Bengaluru Police officials told Firstpost that a youth named Sandeep from Chikmagalur district has been taken into custody for interrogation. Police told sources that Sandeep was arrested as he had made some derogatory comments on Gauri’s Facebook page.
More details are awaited.
Killing rationals and free thinkers can endanger our lives: Sonia Gandhi
In condemning this debilitating attack, the Congress party stands as one with the rationalists, thinkers, journalists and the media fraternity, Sonia Gandhi said. The Congress president described Lankesh as one with fearless and independent views, who had extraordinary grit and determination to take on the system.
“The series of killings of rationalists, free thinkers and journalists in the country has created an atmosphere that dissent, ideological differences and divergence of views can endanger our lives. This cannot be and should not be tolerated. It is an extremely sad moment for our democracy and a chilling reminder of the fact that intolerance and bigotry is raising its ugly head in our society,” Sonia Gandhi said in a statement
Rajnath seeks report from Siddaramaiah govt on Gauri’s assasination
The Union Home Ministry today sought a report from the Karnataka government on the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru, an official said. The move came after Home Minister Rajnath Singh directed Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to get a report from the state government, the home ministry official said.
The Karnataka government has been asked to provide details of the incident and the steps taken to nab those involved in the killing, the official said. The Karnataka government today decided to form a Special Investigation Team to probe the killing.
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