Gauri Lankesh murder: Parashuram no killer, being made scapegoat, says family
Belagavi: The man who allegedly pulled the trigger on journalist/activist, Gauri Lankesh was no sudden convert to Hindutva, it was a passion which grew in him over the years starting about eight to 10 years ago when he attended an event organised by the Sri Ram Sene in Vijayapura district. But many of his close relatives and friends in his hometown, Sindagi find it hard to believe that he is the cold blooded killer who pumped bullets into Gauri that fateful evening on September 5 last year and admit that they were shell-shocked on hearing about it.
While the investigating agencies still have a lot of ground to cover before conclusively concluding that he is the perpetrator of the crime which shocked the entire nation, what may have 'befooled' them is the fact that Waghmare was extremely secretive. Sources say some residents of Sindagi recall Parashuram downloading 'anti-Hindu' speeches of leaders like Gauri Lankesh from Youtube and posting hardcore pro-Hindu views on his Facebook wall but they don't believe he could have killed her.
"He actively participated in many programmes organised by pro-Hindu outfits, but never imposed his views on any of his friends or close relatives. He is certainly not someone who would take such an extreme step, although he did believe in hardcore Hindutva ideology. His parents have clarified that he could not kill anybody for sure,'' says his brother-in-law, Ashok Kamble rising to the defence of Parashuram , who did his BA part II at the Kalmat College in Manvi village, and ran an Internet centre in Sindagi.
His Marathi-speaking family belongs to the Gondhali community and hails from Sindhanur, where Parashuram's father, Ashok Waghmare, sold utensils to make a living before moving to Sindagi with his family five years ago. “He was an introvert and never mingled with friends or relatives. For the past eight years he has been actively participating in programmes organised by right-wing groups, including the Sri Ram Sene, and this brought him closer to some fanatics and hardcore Hindu leaders,”' his friends recall.
Although Sri Ram Sene chief, Pramod Mutalik has denied Parashuram's association with his organisation, a prominent leader of the Sene, Rakesh Mutt, who is president of its Vijayapura unit, posted a letter on Facebook a few days ago making an appeal to people for financial support for Parashuram's family, calling him a "Hindu Rakshak.'' Also, according to sources, inspired by provocative speeches of right-wing leaders, Parashuram had in his late teens teamed up with a group of Sri Ram Sene activists in 2012 in Sindagi to hoist the Pakistan flag and fan communal passions and was booked by the police.
The case is still pending. It is also said that his hatred for a minority community grew after a group of boys in his college accused some Muslim boys of teasing some girl students. While aware of his past, Parashuram's family refuses to accept that he is the killer he is being made out to be and claim he may have confessed to killing Gauri Lankesh under pressure from the investigating officers. It contends that the man shown as Gauri Lankesh's killer in the CCTV footage does not resemble him at all and accuses the officers of trying to hastily complete the investigation by making him the scapegoat.
Although the SIT claims to have enough evidence to nail Parashuram, his family and relatives in Sindagi are confident the "truth will prevail" and he will be proved innocent. Ms Lankesh was shot outside her house on September 5 last year as she alighted from her car to open the gate to enter it. Her helmet-wearing assailant arrived in a scooter and shot her at close range before speeding away, creating shock waves in the city at the killing of yet another rationalist with strong views, who was not afraid to express them.
Trained to shoot in Khanapur
SIT officers investigating senior journalist/activist, Gauri Lankesh's killing, took Parashuram Waghmare, the man accused of killing her, to the Khanapur forest, where he allegedly took part in several training sessions to operate guns and pistols. The SIT took him to some of the spots where he trained months before he allegedly shot Ms Lankesh. It's claimed he was trained to operate air-guns and was given the pistol only on the day of the murder by an unidentified person and he returned it to him after the shooting.
