The murder of senior journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru on Tuesday, sparked protests across the country on Wednesday.
At an event in Delhi, members of the media said increasingly there was an effort to stifle the voice of journalists, especially the ones who raise their voice against the ruling forces.
“Gauri Lankesh was killed because she was dissenting from the prevalent ideology” said former Hindustan Times editor and ex-parliamentarian H.K. Dua.
At a protest meeting in Hyderabad, speakers said the Karnataka government and the Centre must take moral responsibility for the murder.
Vara Vara Rao of the Virasam Revolutionary Writers Collective told The Hindu , “Gauri Lankesh was instrumental in bringing out many cases of state violence including those committed by right-wing forces like Bajrang Dal. She and I together wrote against the expressway project between Telangana and Karnataka that displaced people. Her death was orchestrated by those she exposed.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took part in a protest rally organised by the Kolkata Press Club on Wednesday to condemn the killing.
The media, political parties and civil society groups in Goa expressed deep outrage over the murder and demanded that the Karnataka government nab the culprits immediately.
A candlelight vigil was organised in Mumbai. Various media organisations condemned the killing.
Journalists, writers, artists and politicians in Kerala condemned the killing. Protest marches were taken out in different parts of the State by media personnel, who sported black badges.
