Outspoken Indian Journalist Gauri Lankesh Shot Dead in Bengaluru

Lankesh was known for voicing her opposition to communal politics and the Indian caste system.

A participant holds a placard with a photograph of Indian journalist Gauri Lankesh at a protest demonstration against her killing in Bengaluru.

(Photo: AP)

A distinguished Indian journalist critical of Hindu nationalist politics was shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru in the southern state of Karnataka, late on Tuesday.

Known for her brazen and outspoken attitude, Gauri Lankesh, 55, was the editor of the weekly tabloid, Lankesh Patrike. The tabloid, published in the local language Kannada, takes no advertisements and is run by a group of 50 people.

According to the local police, Lankesh, who was walking home after parking her car, was shot at by unidentified assailants at a close range between 8 pm and 8.30 pm.

Also Read: Eliminated at Point Blank: Gauri Lankesh, a Journalist of Courage

"Her neighbours heard gunshots and saw her collapse on the patio," said Bengaluru Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar. The police found her lying in a pool of blood, with four empty cartridges strewn around her body .

A postmortem report confirmed that three bullets had been fired at Lankesh.

Addressing a press conference a day after her death, the state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is the legislative head of the state, said a police team has been set up to investigate the case.

Also Read: Watch: Scene Outside Gauri Lankesh’s Home Shortly After Her Death

Several journalists’ bodies held protests across major Indian cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, as a mark of protest.

Journalists and others attend a protest meeting against the killing of Indian journalist Gauri Lankesh at Press Club of India in New Delhi.(Photo: AP)

The Editors Guild of India, in a statement, described Lankesh as a "known critic of the central government who fearlessly expressed her views".

Gauri’s killing is an ominous portent for dissent in democracy and a brutal assault on the freedom of press.

Editors Guild of India

Lankesh was known for voicing her opinion on matters of communal politics and the Indian caste system. The daughter of late Indian journalist P Lankesh, she lobbied for a free press and often expressed concerns about the issue of fake news.

In 2008, Lankesh was convicted by a court for defaming the Hindu nationalist political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is currently in power in India. Member of Parliament Prahlad Joshi and local leader Umesh Dushi, who are members of the BJP, had filed cases against Lankesh in court.

Also Read: Gauri Lankesh, the Voice of Dissent, Stood for Free Speech

The court pronounced Lankesh guilty and sentenced her to six months imprisonment. However, she was granted bail and allowed to appeal her sentencing.

Lankesh’s death is one among several journalists who have been killed in the country for reporting against the powers to be.

Anti-superstition crusader Govind Pansare was shot dead in 2015 in India's financial capital, Mumbai.

In 2013, in the neighbouring city of Pune, journalist Narendra Dabholkar was murdered by unidentified men when he had stepped out of his house for a walk in the morning.

M.M. Kalburgi, a scholar, was assassinated in Karnataka's Dharwad city.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 40 journalists have been murdered in India since 1992, five of them in 2016. India ranks eighth in the list of most dangerous places for journalists.