Gauri Lankesh Murder: SIT Initiates Probe, K'taka Home Min Hopeful of Finding Killers

Bengaluru: The Special Investigation Team, constituted to probe the killing of Gauri Lankesh, on Thursday, began investigating the matter.

"SIT members have started their investigation into the Gauri Lankesh murder case and the state government is hopeful of nabbing the assailants as soon as possible," state Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy was quoted as saying by PTI.

Replying to a query, Reddy said the Inquiry Officer has been given full freedom to probe the matter and make public information as and when required. The team is headed by B.K. Singh, Inspector General Police.

The police also shared the contact numbers, urging the general public to share any information that might have about Gauri's assassination.

Asked if there was any political compulsion for deciding against a CBI probe into the murder of Gauri Lankesh, Reddy said, "Who said this? We are open minded, and that is what Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said. If we feel the case is needed to be probed by CBI, we will hand over the case to it."

Gauri Lankesh, editor of Lankesh Patrike, was on Tuesday shot dead at her residence in Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwari Nagar. Reports say unidentified men shot her three times from close range and she collapsed on the spot.

Gauri's killing bears striking similarity to the way in which rationalist MM Kalburgi was killed two years ago.

She had noticed some people suspiciously lurking near her home but did not inform the police, her sister Kavitha Lankesh told the police.

In her statement, Kavitha said that Gauri had voiced safety concerns to her aged mother, Indira Lankesh, during a visit last week. Both Kavitha and her mother had advised Gauri to report the matter to the police but she brushed it off and said she would do so if she came across any such activity again, Bangalore Mirror reported.

A police officer involved in the investigations said that Kavitha stated that she had met Gauri on Tuesday afternoon at her Gandhi Bazaar office. She learnt about her sister’s death around 8.26 pm after reaching home.