Gauri Lankesh murder probe may help crack Kalburgi case too

Bengaluru: Will Gauri Lankesh murder case help solve the Kalburgi assassination, which is under investigation? According to official sources, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is probing the Kalburgi case is working and sharing information "seamlessly" with the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has been tasked with detecting Gauri murder.

"The two agencies are trying to detect if there is a pattern in the two sensational killings. The investigation is at a preliminary stage," said an official source. "There are some similarities in the two cases, which are being looked into. It is also possible that while detecting one case, the other agency may get strong leads in their case," said the officer

Prof M.M. Kalburgi was shot dead on August 30, 2015 in his house in Dharwad by two unknown assailants. Gauri was murdered on September 5 outside her house in Rajarajeshwari Nagar around 8pm. "While there is speculation that both of them were targeted by Right wing extremists for their anti-Right wing views there is no evidence as of now to come to a conclusion," the officer said.

Artists, writers to protest
The Gauri Lankesh Hatya Virodi Samiti is organising a national-level congregation of writers, artists, social and political activists, journalists, filmmakers and students from across the country on September 12 to condemn the ‘organised killing of progressive thinkers and writers by the communal forces’ in the country.

According to the newly-formed Samiti, the congregation ‘I am Gauri, We all are Gauri’ will be held at the Central College Ground at 11 am. There will be a demonstration for unity and fearlessness to the assassins of their comrade Gauri and to convey their message that “silencing an individual would produce more Gauris” and their “movement against communalism and other forms of excessiveness in the name of religion” would continue unabated.

Maintaining that they have faith in the state government and the Special Investigation Team (SIT), members urged the government not to hand over the case to CBI as it may act upon the instructions of the Central Government and cover up the case.