Remembering Gauri Lankesh: Four years on, family awaits justice

Bengaluru, Sep 05: Today marks the fourth death anniversary of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, a left-leaning journalist who brought out a magazine ''Gauri Lankesh Patrike'', was shot dead by two assailants on September 5, 2017 evening just outside her house in Bengaluru allegedly for her anti-Hindutva stand.

The 55-year-old was shot dead from point-blank range by unidentified assailants outside her residence in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017.

The men fired at least seven bullets at her at around 8 p.m. while she was unlocking the main door of her house after returning from her office.

One of the killers, who was waiting for her near her house, fired the first shots at her, while the two others, who are suspected to have followed her from her office, joined the initial shooter thereafter.

The killers were wearing helmets and escaped on a two-wheeler Honda Dio after the murder. Three of the bullets pierced Gauri's head, neck, and chest, resulting in her death at the scene.

The brutal murder sparked a nationwide outrage from civil rights activists and journalists, as it was similar to those of rationalists Narendra Dabohlkar, Govind Pansare and M.M. Kalburgi.

In 2018, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder case detained two suspects, whom they also suspected of being involved in the murders of Dabholkar and Kalburgi.

In June 2018, the SIT stated that Parashuram Waghmore had confessed to the murder. He claimed that he was told to kill someone to save his religion, and that he did not know who the victim was.

In September 2018, Maharashtra ATS detained 2 suspects related to her murder and also recovered cache of arms from them.

She worked as an editor in Lankesh Patrike, a Kannada weekly started by her father P. Lankesh, and ran her own weekly called Gauri Lankesh Patrike. She was shot to death by assailants outside her home in Rajarajeshwari Nagar on 5 September 2017. At the time of her death, Gauri was known for being a critic of right-wing Hindu extremism. She was honored with Anna Politkovskaya Award for speaking against right-wing Hindu extremism, campaigning for women's rights and opposing caste based discrimination.

Canadian city to commemorate Sept 5 as Gauri Lankesh Day

The Canadian city of Burnaby has declared September 5 as "Gauri Lankesh Day", as a tribute to the dead journalist on her death anniversary, her sister Kavitha Lankesh said on Thursday.

"I have received a proclamation (from Burnaby about observing Gauri Lankesh Day)," Kavitha told PTI.

The proclamation issued by the office of the Mayor of Burnaby Mike Hurley said Gauri Lankesh was a courageous Indian journalist who stood up for truth and justice, challenged superstition and social ills, and dedicated her life to serving the poor and oppressed.

Hurley noted that Gauri laid down her life in 2017 in her fight against repression and for human rights and Canadians of Indian heritage commemorate her death on September 5 every year.

He said the City of Burnaby celebrates the diversity of its community and recognises the contribution that Indo-Canadians have made to the social, economic and cultural development of the city.