October 5 will mark one month since the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh and people are now demanding that the special investigative team (SIT) which is probing the case must conclude its investigation soon.
Members of the ‘Gauri Lankesh Hatya Virodhi Vedike’, a group which has been protesting the murder as well as the curbing of free speech, on Monday demanded that the investigation conclude soon and that the killers be arrested. “The pace must not slow down. We want identification of not only the killers but also those responsible for giving the order for her murder. They must be arrested as well,” said K. Leela, convenor of the forum.
The forum also wants the government to declare the murders of activists and rationalists such as Gauri Lankesh, Narendra Dhabolkar, Govind Pansare and M.M. Kalburgi as terrorist attacks as they were carried out with the intent to generate fear and curtail free speech, Ms. Leela said. “On October 5, we will participate in a massive gathering at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi where people from all over the country will gather to demand the right to freedom of expression,” she said.
‘Trolls must be punished’
The forum is also demanding strict action by the police against social media users who abuse and threaten or in some cases, even celebrate the killing of rationalists, thinkers and other people in the country. “Till date, thousands of trolls that celebrated the death of Lankesh are still being followed by prominent Ministers and even the Prime Minister on social media. Why haven’t they been blocked yet or un-followed yet?,” questioned Sripad Bhat, a member of the forum.
