The Special Investigation Team of the Karnataka Police that is inquiring into the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh said the accused killed her for her “anti-Hindu views”, The Hindu reported on Saturday. Lankesh was shot dead outside her house in Bengaluru’s RR Nagar locality on September 5.
On May 30, the investigating team filed its first chargesheet against accused KT Naveen Kumar. “The accused were angry with her for speaking against Hindu dharma, gods of Hindu dharma and insulting Hindu dharma,” the English daily quoted the chargesheet as saying.
The Special Investigation Team did not accuse any organisation of involvement in Lankesh’s murder, but said that Kumar was part of a bigger conspiracy. The chargesheet reportedly claims that Kumar had procured the bullets that were used to kill Lankesh and provided logistical support to the shooters and guided them to her house in Bengaluru.
The police are interrogating four accused who were arrested for conspiring to kill Kannada writer and rationalist KS Bhagawan. The four suspects are believed to be associates of Kumar. The suspects are linked to right-wing group Sanatan Sanstha and its affiliate Hindu Janajagruti Samiti. They were sent to judicial custody on Wednesday.
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