Protests, demand for swift action throughout country
Journalists, civil society members and common people on Wednesday assembled in cities across the country to protest the murder of senior Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh.
In New Delhi, a gathering was organised at the Press Club of India where participating journalists demanded swift action against those behind the killing.
“Till yesterday, I believed that in our country journalists face smear campaign and attempts are made to instill fear but always thought it won’t come to this stage…I will now have to review my appraisal,” said senior journalist Barkha Dutt.
“People these days don’t appreciate questions. The only way to fight against forces targeting journalists is to ensure that the number of people who ask questions does not decrease,” said Sidhartha Vardarajan, editor, The Wire.
A resolution was also adopted on the occasion to urge Karnataka CM to ensure speedy investigation in the case. In the evening, Swaraj India leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan led a group of residents in a candlelight vigil against the murder at India Gate. In Mumbai, many groups held protests, silent marches and prayers. “Through this protest we are demanding for an impartial investigation based on circumstantial evidences. We want the forces who were allegedly troubling her to be probed,” said Dharmendra Jore, secretary, Press Club of Mumbai.
Protests were also held elsewhere in the country including Lucknow, Chandigarh and Gurdaspur, to name a few, where civil society organisations condemned the killing. At Lucknow’s GPO, protesters asked Union home minister, Rajnath Singh, the local Lok Sabha MP, to fix accountability. Several journalists from Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana, under the banner of the Chandigarh Press Club, held protests in Sector 17 shopping complex.