BJP seeks CBI probe into Gauri Lankesh murder

Asks Congress not to politicise murder and instead focus on a speedy probe

People hold placards and candles during a vigil for Gauri Lankesh in Ahmedabad on September 6, 2017.

Urging the Congress to desist from politicising the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday demanded a CBI probe into the case.

“The State government’s investigation has come under flak for the way in which it approached the death of Deputy SP M.K. Ganapathi,” said BJP leader R. Ashok.

“Also, it has not been able to make any headway with respect to the probe into the death of scholar M.M. Kalburgi even two years after his murder,” added the BJP leader.

He pointed out that Gauri Lankesh’s brother Indrajeet Lankesh too had sought a probe by the CBI.

Meanwhile, the BJP’s Mahila Morcha leaders attended the last rites of the slain journalist in Bengaluru on Wednesday, while the party’s prominent leaders stayed away.

20 political murders

Mr. Ashok said the journalist’s murder had highlighted the failure of law and order in the State and alleged that nearly 20 political murders had taken place ever since Mr. Siddaramaiah had taken over as the Chief Minister.

Mr. Ashok and party’s state spokesperson S. Suresh Kumar took exception to the remarks by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi linking the journalist’s murder to criticism of RSS ideology.

“Stop politicising the murder. Instead focus on nabbing the culprits without wasting time. Do not allow destruction of evidence due to the delay in handing over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),” Mr. Suresh Kumar said.

Stating that he knew Ms. Gauri Lankesh right from the days when she began her journalistic career, Mr. Kumar maintained that nobody would have gone to the extent of killing her just due to ideological reasons.