Gauri Lankesh was a veteran journalist and the editor of Lankesh Patrike newspaper, was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle outside her home in Rajarajeshwarinagar, Bengaluru, on the night of September 5, 2017.
Key accused in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh were given a warm welcome by some Hindutva outfits on their arrival in their hometown in Karnataka on Saturday. A video showing Hindutva outfit leader Umesh Vandal honouring the accused with a shawl and garlands during the event has gone viral on social media.
Neelkantha Kandagal, the leader of another Hindutva fringe group, Sriram Sene, claimed that “innocent individuals” had been unjustly sentenced to seven years in prison for the murder of Lankesh. Kandagal claimed that the accused had no involvement in the crime and alleged that the Congress government had targeted only Hindu activists.
Last week, a Sessions Court in Bengaluru granted bail to eight accused involved in the murder of Lankesh. The court had granted bail to accused Amol Kale, Rajesh D Bangera, Vasudev Suryawanshi, Rushikesh Devadekar, Parshuram Waghmore, Ganesh Miskin, Amit Baddi and Manohar Yadawe.
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On September 4, the Karnataka High Court also granted bail to four accused in the case: Bharat Kurane, Srikanth Pangarkar, Sujith Kumar, and Sudhanwa Gondhalekar.
Who Was Gauri Lankesh?
Gauri Lankesh was a veteran journalist and the editor of Lankesh Patrike newspaper, was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle outside her home in Rajarajeshwarinagar, Bengaluru, on the night of September 5, 2017.
The Siddaramaiah-led state government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the case at the time.
The SIT had identified a total of 18 accused, including the alleged mastermind Amol Kale, the shooter Parashuram Waghmare, and Ganesh Miskin, who rode the motorcycle.
The accused were booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act, and the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act. Gauri Lankesh was Known for her staunch criticism of Hindutva politics and extreme right-wing ideologies
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