Gauri Lankesh
Bengaluru, Sep 5 (IANS) Senior Kannada journalist and social activist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead on Tuesday night by unidentified men at her residence, police said. She was 55.
"She was shot dead from a close range at her house in Rajarajeshwari Nagar (in the suburbs) around 8 p.m. as she was entering the house," Bengaluru Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar told reporters here.
"A total of seven bullets were fired out of which four missed the target and hit the wall of the house. Three bullets had hit her -- two in her chest area and one in the forehead," he said.
The message and not to independent journalists but to all dissenters is loud and clear. We are watching you and one day we will get you
— Sidharth Bhatia (@bombaywallah) September 5, 2017
Strongly condemn the attack and assassination of #GauriLankesh . Her demise has left a void in the world of journalism pic.twitter.com/DXdJzkBsf9
— Sachin Pilot (@SachinPilot) September 5, 2017
Her brother Indrajit Lankesh demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the death.
"I don't have any words to say. It is shocking that my sister, a journalist and activist, was targeted this way," he told reporters.
"There must be a CBI investigation into the death and there must be severe punishment for the killers," he said.
Six months ago, Gauri Lankesh wrote this piece on how Bangalore had become increasingly unsafe https://t.co/PXJZZv40NH via @scroll_in
— naresh fernandes (@tajmahalfoxtrot) September 5, 2017
Brinda Karat:Hindutva Hate Murdered Pansare,Dabholkar, Kalburgi;Hounded #GauriLankesh, Now shot dead.Arrest her killers! Protest her murder!
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) September 5, 2017
The Commissioner meanwhile said that police have "extracted the footage from CCTVs around the house and will examine it closely".
"We will register a case of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and set up a special team to nab her killers," a police official told IANS.
Lankesh was Editor of the weekly Kannada tabloid "Lankesh Patrika".
— M K Venu (@mkvenu1) September 5, 2017
In India we bow to frauds like Ram Rahim and kill men and women of reason & inquiry like Pansare, Dabholkar, Kalburgi & now #gaurilankesh
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) September 5, 2017
Karnataka's new Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who rushed to the spot with the Police Commissioner, told reporters that the assailants probably fired seven rounds.
"Within minutes, seven rounds were fired at close range. She was attacked outside her residence. As she had not sought police protection, no security was provided to her," Reddy said.
Poisonous violence of mind being spread on social media to browbeat critics; on street, its the gun that silences dissent. #GauriLankesh
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) September 5, 2017
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the crime. "Absolutely shocked to learn about the murder of renowned journalist Gauri Lankesh. I have no words to condemn this heinous crime," he tweeted.
There is a Godse in every street of this country. She received threat from every possible right wing group. Ashamed yet India ? https://t.co/4kiorDvMrA
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) September 5, 2017
"Gauri was an advocate of secularism. She fought against injustice," he told the media here.
"Police has formed three teams and begun investigations," Siddaramaiah said, adding that he had directed police to nab the killers at the earliest.
Shocked, horrified that colleague & friend #GauriLankesh shot dead. She was a staunch voice for civil liberties and liberal values.
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) September 5, 2017
Congress state unit chief G. Parameshwara called her death a "great loss to the community of independent journalism". "Lost a dear friend, an accomplished journalist and a wonderful human being," he said.
Journalism is nothing without courage. Democracy is nothing without dissent. You had plenty of both #GauriLankesh You live on as inspiration
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) September 5, 2017
Stop saying RIP. How can #gaurilankesh rest in peace with RW goons roaming freely?
— Kalyan Arun (@kalyanarun) September 5, 2017
A prominent Left thinker and a staunch critic of Hindutva politics, Lankesh was convicted last year in a defamation case filed by Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Pralhad Joshi.
Her siblings Indrajit Lankesh and Kavitha Lankesh are both film-makers in the Kannada film industry.
'Death threats have become a common factor’: Journalist Gauri Lankesh said in her last speech.She has been shot dead https://t.co/LfcK6UCf1E
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) September 5, 2017
The manner in which Lankesh was shot dead was reminiscent of the way Kannada progressive thinker and researcher M.M. Kalburgi was shot dead in August 2015 at his residence in Dharwad in the state's northwest region, about 400km from Bengaluru.
Brutal murder of Gauri Lankesh has once again established that his country has become unbearable. I m disturbed like hell.
— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) September 5, 2017
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday expressed her "alarm" over Lankesh's killing and demanded justice.
"Saddened at the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru. Most unfortunate. Very alarming. We want justice," she tweeted.
Karnataka Has a Long History of Attacks on the Freedom of Press, she wrote https://t.co/ciAEwsfkwZ via @thewire_in
— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) September 5, 2017
Biotech firm Biocon's Chairman and Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar Shaw tweeted: "Shocking and blood curdling to hear about the murder of Gauri Lankesh. These monstrous criminals must be nailed n dealt with sternly".
The Right to Dissent is Being Threatened, Says Gauri Lankesh https://t.co/ZyC7uy9yM9 via @thewire_in
— ParanjoyGuhaThakurta (@paranjoygt) September 5, 2017
