Gauri Lankesh Murder Accused Receive Grand Welcome In Vijayapura

Rightwing activists shouted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and felicitated them with shawls and garlands

Vijayapura: Two persons accused in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh received heroes welcome from leaders of some rightwing organisations here on Saturday.

The accused, Parasuram Waghmore and Manohar Yadawe were recently released on bail by a Bengaluru court. On Friday, they were honoured at an event and participated in a religious ritual and puja at the Kalikadevi Temple.

They were felicitated by the group’s leader, Umesh Vandal, with shawls and garlands. On the occasion, the participants, including the right-wing activists, shouted “Bharat Mata Ki Jai." A video of the event went viral on social media.

Among others, Sriram Sene leader Neelkantha Kandagal addressed the gathering and claimed that the accused were innocent and had been unjustly sentenced to seven years in prison for Gauri Lankesh’s murder, blaming the Congress government for indulging in vendetta politics.

Recently, the Bengaluru Sessions Court granted bail to eight accused, including Waghmore and Yadawein, in the Lankesh murder case. Previously, four more accused in the case were granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on September 4.

The editor of Lankesh Patrike newspaper, Lankesh, was shot dead outside her home in Rajarajeshwarinagar, Bengaluru. Two men allegedly came on a bike on the night of September 5, 2017, and fired shots at her at the point-blank range.

To probe the killing, the then Congress government set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which identified 18 accused. They were charged under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, and Karnataka Control of Organized Crime Act.

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