Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by IGP BK Singh, to probe the cold-blooded murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh.
The 21-member SIT team with DCP (West) MN Anucheth as the Investigating Officer on Thursday started its probe into the murder of Gauri Lankesh.
Lankesh, known for her left-leaning outlook and forthright views against Hindutva politics, was shot dead on Tuesday night by unidentified men at her residence.
While several journalists and political personalities condemned the killing, top leaders of the Congress and the BJP were locked in a spat over the killing.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday said the "series of killings" of rationalists, free thinkers and journalists in the country has created an atmosphere that dissent, ideological differences and divergence of views can endanger our lives.
Echoing her views, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said, “It is a philosophy...anybody who speaks against the ideology of BJP and RSS, is pressurised, beaten, attacked and even killed.”
“People say that the PM is quiet and not said anything, the point is that the entire ideology is to crush dissent,” Rahul Gandhi added.
Calling PM Modi a skilled 'Hindutva politician', Rahul said, "Sometimes, under pressure, the Prime Minister makes some statements. But the entire idea is to crush dissent," adding that "non-violence is the history of this nation... Murder cannot be justified".
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari hit back, terming as "irresponsible, baseless and false" the Congress allegation seeking to link the killing of Gauri to the BJP or people following its ideology.
