Gauri Lankesh murder: Karnataka home minister Ramalinga Reddy says nothing revealed so far, SIT probe underway

Bengaluru: With no headway yet in the probe into the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh, Karnataka home minister Ramalinga Reddy on said nothing has been revealed so far. He also dismissed as “mere speculations” reports about the modus operandi of the assailants and the type of weapons used to kill 55-year old Gauri, who was shot dead at her residence by unidentified assailants on the night of 5 September. “The investigation is going on into Gauri Lankesh’s killing. You have to wait and I am also waiting for something substantial from investigation. We (state government) don’t interfere in SIT probe. Nothing has been revealed so far. Reports appearing in media are mere speculations,” Reddy told reporters after a cabinet meeting. [caption id=“attachment_4026269” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of protest after Gauri Lankesh’s murder. PTI[/caption] The Karnataka government has formed an SIT, headed by IGP (Intelligence) BK Singh, to probe the gunning down of Lankesh, known for her left-leaning outlook with a strident stand against Hindutva politics. The Karnataka government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the coldblooded killing that has caused nationwide outrage and protests. On 10 September, Reddy had said SIT had gathered “some clues” in connection with the case. The government also announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh to anyone providing clues. The media has been speculating about the modus operandi of the crime committed by assailants, and type of weapons used to kill Lankesh. There were also reports of the Andhra Pradesh Police forming a special team to assist the Karnataka Police. There were also reports that the SIT had interrogated as many as 80 people across Karnataka. Reacting to the reports, Investigating Officer MN Anucheth told PTI that there was no substance in them. “I can only say, there is no substance in such media reports. When there is something concrete, we would certainly brief the media,” he said.