Sonia Gandhi seeks swift justice

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday asked Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah to swiftly bring the killers of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh to book and ensure a safe and secure atmosphere in the state.

In a statement, Gandhi said the series of killings of rationalists, free thinkers and journalists in the country has created an atmosphere that dissent, ideological differences and divergence of views can endanger our lives.

“This cannot be and should not be tolerated,” she said, expressing shock and distress at the “heinous and cowardly” murder of Lankesh.

“Known for her fearless and independent views, Gauri Lankesh had extraordinary grit and determination to take on the system,” the Congress chief said.

“It is an extremely sad moment for our democracy and a chilling reminder of the fact that intolerance and bigotry is raising its ugly head in our society.”

Earlier, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “The truth will never be silenced. Gauri Lankesh lives in our hearts. My condolences & love to her family. The culprits have to be punished.”

CPI(M) CALLS PROTEST

The CPI(M) also condemned the murder.

In a statement, it said the murder “fits into a by now familiar pattern of eliminating voices that dare to speak out against the current climate of hate and intolerance by the RSS and BJP”. The killings of — Govind Pansare, Dabholkar, Kalburgi and now Gauri Lankesh — “are all interconnected”, the statement said.

“All of them were vociferous in their opposition to superstition, obscurantism and the perpetuation of the communal agenda by the rightwing Hindutva forces,” the statement added.