Activists condemn Lankesh killing, demand thorough probe
LUCKNOW: Activists, journalists, writers, artists and politicians gathered at GPO Park in Hazratganj on Wednesday to condemn the killing of senior Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh.
Lankesh was shot dead by unidentified assailants at her residence in Bengaluru on Tuesday night. The protesters demanded justice for Lankesh and urged union home minister Rajnath Singh to take note of the increasing attacks on journalists.
All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) demanded a proper probe into the murder so that the culprits are caught and punished in an exemplary manner. “Such serious crimes are alarming and outrageous. It underscores the complete lack of safety in homes and on the streets of a city which boasts of a significant presence of women professionals,” said Malini Bhattacharya, president, AIDWA, while condemning the rising incidents of use of violence to silence critics across country.
“The targeted killing of Lankesh is not incidental. It is a grim indicator of the intolerance and violence that have been let loose by the increasing influence of right wing forces in the country,” said Mariam Dhawale, general secretary, AIDWA.
“She has been killed precisely because she was an outspoken and fearless critic of the RSS and the Hindutva brigade,” he added.
The Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) has also condemned the gruesome killing of the editor of the popular weekly tabloid ‘Lankesh Patrike’.
In a statement, the IFWJ president BV Mallikarjunaiah and the secretary general Parmanand Pandey have asked the government of Karnataka to bring the culprits to book. IFWJ also demanded that the government of Karnataka adequately compensate the bereaved family.
UPCC spokesperson Arun Prakash Singh has also condemned Gauri Lankesh’s murder.