Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Sunday said that the killers of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside her house in west Bangaluru, would be caught “100 per cent” in a few weeks.
Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the killing had clues about the assailants, but those could not be disclosed at the moment, said Reddy.
While addressing the press at an event organised by the Press Club of Bangalore and the Bangalore Reporters’ Guild, Reddy said, weeks do not mean one or two weeks. It (the arrest of the killers) will happen in a matter of a few weeks. This will happen 100 per cent.
Who has done it…I am aware of it thanks to an update provided by the SIT. But I cannot disclose it now, said Reddy. Gauri’s killers will 100 per cent be caught. This will happen in a few weeks, he added.
The murder of senior journalist, who was known to be an anti-establishment voice with strident anti-right wing views, led to a national outrage and protests by several groups over “rising intolerance” in the country and attempts to muzzle dissent, with the criticism targeted at the BJP-led central government and right-wing groups.
Lankesh, the Editor of Kannada tabloid “Gauri Lankesh Patrike”, was shot dead outside her residence here on September 5 by unidentified assailants
Earlier, the SIT had ruled out the hand of Sanatan Sanstha in the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh saying they have “no information” about the right-wing outfits’ involvement in the case and had also released the three different sketches of suspects.
The Congress government in Karnataka had constituted a 150-member SIT headed by Inspector General of Police BK Singh with Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) MN Anucheth as its main Investigation Officer.
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The state government had also announced Rs 10 lakh reward to anyone giving information leading to the killers.
(With agency inputs)