Gauri murder case: Witness identifies 3 key accused

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: In the latest development to the murder case of Jour nalist Gauri Lankesh, two people who were residents of Policappa building in Seegehalli of Bengaluru North, have identified three members of the rightwing organised crime syndicate arrested in the crime, as being residents of the house during the trial.

According to sources, a cab driver and a mobile phone mechanic, identified Amol Kale, a former Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) convenor and an alleged chief planner from Pune; Parashuram Waghmore, a former Sri Rama Sena activist from Vijayapura and the alleged shooter; and Ganesh Miskin from Hubbali, the alleged rider of the motorcycle who brought the shooter to Gauri's residence on the night of the murder.

Another witness, who is linked to the HJS and is said to be the person who lended a motorcycle to another accused HL Suresh to survey Gauri's house ahead of her murder.

During the trial, the mobile phone mechanic identified Amol Kale as the person he had seen entering the secondfloor residence of his neighbour HL Suresh, in the first week of September 2017.

According to the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police in the Gauri Lankesh murder case, key members of the right-wing gang involved in the murder – Amol Kale, Amit Baddi, Ganesh Miskin, Parshuram Waghmore and Bharat Kurne – met in the house of HL Suresh ahead of the crime.

HL Suresh, who has also been arrested in the case, allegedly vacated his house from September 2, 2017, to September 6, 2017, to allow the leader of the plot Amol Kale and others to use it as an alternative hideout for the execution of the murder.

After the murder, one of the accused Amit Baddi is alleged to have deposited articles – clothes, guns etc – used by the gang for the murder at a designated spot at Suresh’s home.

These were later recovered by other gang members from a shop building rented by Suresh in the same Seegehalli area.

However, during the trial last week one of the witnesses linked to the HJS who is alleged to have loaned his Splendor motorcycle to H L Suresh to facilitate the recce of Gauri Lankesh’s home by the main accused turned hostile.

"The witness denied his association with the HJS and the ownership of the bike that was still registered in his mother’s name.

Killing the truth

Gauri Lankesh, a high-profile journalist and activist who spoke out against the rise of right-wing Hindu extremism and stood up for India’s marginalised people, was shot dead on 5 September 2017 outside her residence in Bengaluru.

The Karnataka Police SIT named 17 people from rightwing fringe outfits for the conspiracy and murder of Gauri.

The accused have been charged with murder and involvement in an organised crime activity under the Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) 2000.

A probe revealed that she was killed after four bullets were fired at her by a man now identified by the SIT as Parashuram Waghmore, a former activist of the rightwing Sri Rama Sena.

"The members of this organisation targeted persons whom they identified to be inimical to their belief and ideology.

"The members claimed that they strictly follow the guidelines and principles mentioned in ‘Kshatra Dharma Sadhana’, a book published by Sanatan Sanstha,” the SIT said after it filed a 9,235-page chargesheet against the accused in the Lankesh murder case on November 23, 2018.

Since the trial began on July 4, 2022, the special court has examined more than 100 of the over 400 witnesses in the case.

One of the accused, Mohan Nayak, who organised logistics for the murder was granted bail in December 2023 by the Karnataka High Court citing delay in the trial.

"However Gauri's younger sister, Kavita Lankesh moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction for the cancellation of the bail to Nayak.