Gauri Lankesh murder: Is this the man who pulled the trigger?
Waghmare arrested from Sindagi could be the man who pulled the trigger on the night of Sept 5, killing Gauri.
Bengaluru: Nine months after the shocking murder of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh in the city, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing her murder, arrested a Hindutva activist on Monday night. Sources close to the investigation have indicated that 26-year-old Parashuram Waghmare who was produced in court Tuesday and remanded to 14 days custody could be the man who pulled the trigger on the night of September 5, killing the fiery 56- year old last year.
The SIT picked up the alleged Sri Ram Sene activist from Sindagi town in Vijayapura district after two right-wing leaders whose names figure in the "confession" statement signed by KT Naveen Kumar, the first person to be arrested for the murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, pointed to the involvement of the accused.
While SIT officials said that “it has not yet been established" whether it was Parashuram who pulled the trigger and pumped three bullets into her body, a source said that Parashuram’s involvement in the murder was revealed by one of the four accused who is in police custody. His whereabouts were revealed to police by yet another accused whom they had detained for questioning following which Parashuram was arrested, the source said.
The police suspect that Parashuram was the pillion rider while KT Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja rode the bike to the crime spot. While Naveen sat on his bike at a distance from Gauri’s house, Parashuram walked to the gate and opened fire.
Parashuram, an alleged member of Sri Ram Sene, Tiger Group and other Hindutva outfits, was one of the accused arrested for hoisting Pakistan’s national flag outside Tahsildar’s office on January 1, 2012. The act, intended to disturb communal harmony, led to protests by various Hindu organisations including Sri Ram Sene for which Parashuram allegedly worked. He along with five others were later arrested by the Sindagi police.
The SIT, after questioning Parashuram on Monday, produced him before the III ACMM Court on Tuesday which remanded him to 14 days police custody. Sources in the SIT said that he will be interrogated as will the other accused on his involvement in the murder. “As of now, we can only say that he had a major role in the murder of Gauri Lankesh. There is strong suspicion that he may be the one who opened fire at Gauri Lankesh, but we are yet to establish this. It will be done during the course of further investigation,” the source said.
The source added that the FSL’s analysis of CCTV footage and the 're-creation' of the crime scene showed that the gate of the Gauri’s house was five feet in height. Gauri herself was 5.4 feet and the killer is visible just above. He was shorter than Gauri, and weighed around 70 to 80 kgs. His physical characteristics match Parashuram, who is 5.1 feet in height and weighs around 70 kg.
The SIT said "Waghmare's role in the murder and other details will be revealed later as going public would affect the investigation at this stage." A senior officer in SIT said that considering the developments, the team will soon reach conclude the murder mystery that shook the nation.
So far, the SIT has arrested three people - KT Naveen Kumar, Sujith Kumar alias and Parashuram - and have established their links to the murder. They have arrested three more accused Amol Kale alias Bhaisaab, Amit Degwekar alias Pradeep Mahajan and Manohar Dundappa Yavde for their involvement in the conspiracy to kill Mysuru-based Kannada writer Prof. KS Bhagwan. All three will also be investigated for any possible involvement in Gauri’s murder.