Will soon take a call on banning organisations, says K'taka DyCM

SIT files additional charge sheet, names Sanatan Sanstha

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Parameshwara on Saturday said the state government would soon take a call on banning the organisations involved in the killing of noted journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh. Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said, "No discussions have taken place regarding the organisations involved in the crime, but shortly we will take a decision on that." The special investigation team (SIT) probing the killing of Lankesh had on Friday filed an additional charge sheet naming Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindu outfit and 18 accused in the crime. The SIT submitted the 9,235-page charge sheet in the Principal Civil and Sessions court here Friday.

The charge sheet stated that a network within Sanatan Sanstha targeted Lankesh for no personal reasons. It also said the planning to kill Lankesh took place for almost five years. "The killer and the killed have no personal or any other enmity. Why she was killed? Because she believed in certain ideology, she wrote and spoke on that. So, it must be an ideology and it must be an organisation," Special Public Prosecutor Balan told PTI.

The team has sought time from the court to investigate the case further.

Lankesh, 55, known for her left-leaning and strong anti-Hindutva views, was shot dead in front of her house here on September 5 last year, triggering a nationwide outrage. Soon after the then Siddaramaiah-led government constituted the SIT to probe into the killing. So far, 18 people have been accused in the crime, including shooter Parashuram Waghmare, masterminds Amol Kale, Sujith Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degwekar, SIT sources told PTI. The gang is suspected to be involved in the killing of three other rationalists M M Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare.