Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Tuesday said that the Special Investigation Team working on the murder case of journalist Gauri Lankesh has identified her killers, NDTV reported. “We know who it is,” he said, but refused to go into details as the investigation was still on.
Lankesh, who ran the Gauri Lankesh Patrike, had been a vocal critic of right-wing groups. She was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru on September 5. No one has been arrested for her murder yet, as the assailants were wearing helmets and fled on a bike.
“We have got clues, but we cannot tell things to the media for now, because we should have correct evidence for the clues we have got,” Reddy had told PTI on Monday. Explaining that if there is no proper evidence when they file a charge sheet, the case won’t stand, he said, “Our Special Investigation Team is working towards gathering evidence.”
However, this is not the first time the minister has made such claims. On September 9, he had said the investigators had gathered “some clues” and the culprits would be apprehended soon.
A day after her murder, the Karnataka government had formed the Special Investigation Team, and announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for anyone who can help the police catch Lankesh’s killers. The 21-member Special Investigation Team had earlier said that it was looking into whether any right-wing organisation was involved in killing Lankesh, or if it was the handiwork of Naxalites.
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