Why neighbours of Gauri Lankesh are leaving their homes after the brutal murder?

Journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh was murdered in Bengaluru on Tuesday. She was 55 years old. Since the news of her assassination came to light, protests broke out across Karnataka.

Bengaluru, Sep 6: Bengaluru will never be the same again after the brutal murder of firebrand editor and activist Gauri Lankesh who was shot dead by unidentified assailants on Tuesday evening.

Some reports said she was shot three times, others claimed four bullets were pumped into her, one on the forehead. Otherwise known to be a peaceful city, the horrific incident has shocked and pained everyone in Bengaluru.

Since the news of her assassination came to light, protests broke out across Karnataka condemning the incident. The editor-activist was killed at the entrance of her home in the city's Rajarajeshwari Nagar.

It's her neighbours who told the police that they heard gunshots being fired at around 8pm in the evening because of which they came out of their homes to check out what went wrong. To their utter shock, they found Lankesh's body lying in a pool of blood at the entrance of her home.

However, now reports say that a lot of the residents of the locality have left their homes for the fear of being questioned by the police. The police so far have quizzed five neighbours to get clues about the murder.

But many residents in the area did not want to get involved in the investigation and therefore they locked their houses and left Rajarajeshwari Nagar late on Tuesday night, a resident told reporters.

"It's a high-profile murder case. Nobody here wants to get involved with police and law. If anyone becomes a witness in the case, there is no guarantee that he/she won't be harassed by the killers. It is sad that she was murdered and culprits must be punished. But her neighbours don't want to get entangled in the case," said another resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar.

A police official added that it was a natural reaction to the case. "But we want cooperation from the neighbours to solve the murder mystery and give justice to Lankesh. We want to tell the neighbours that nobody would be harassed by the police. If they want protection, we will give them adequate security," added the police official.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up across the city. Police nakabandis have been set up across the city looking for the suspects. Police personnel are said to be diligently checking all vehicles in Rajarajeshwari Nagar and nearby areas.

OneIndia News