‘There was no threat to Gauri Lankesh’s life,’ says Karnataka DGP RK Dutta

Hours after the senior editor was murdered in cold blood, the state police are looking for clues as to who her killers might be.
‘There was no threat to Gauri Lankesh’s life,’ says Karnataka DGP RK Dutta
‘There was no threat to Gauri Lankesh’s life,’ says Karnataka DGP RK Dutta
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Who killed senior journalist Gowri Lankesh?

As Karnataka watches on in shock, the top cops in the state are investigating the cold blooded murder on Tuesday night. While the Commissioner of Police himself is leading the investigation, the police say that there was no threat to Gowri’s life before the shocking incident, and that they have no list of suspects yet.

Speaking to CNN News 18, the DGP of the state RK Dutta said, "She has never complained about any threats to me. I have met her a few times as she was connected to naxal surrenders. But she has never expressed any threat to her life."

The DGP further said that it was too early to comment on who was behind the cold-blooded murder.

"We got the information just now about the murder. She was returning home. Her home is in Ideal home layout in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. She got down from her car and she was opening the gate when she was shot. The details are sketchy, and we are yet to know who has done it," he said.

Hinting that it was a premeditated attack, he further said that her assailants seem to have been waiting outside her house since 7.30 pm, and shot her dead when she arrived and got down from the car.

Confirming that the Bengaluru city Commissioner T Suneel Kumar was at the spot of the murder, and was leading the investigation, the DGP said that the law and order situation in the city is under control.

When News 18 asked whether the police force was stretched thin as the BJP was holding massive protests in the city today, the DGP agreed.

Addressing the media, Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that three men came on scooters and fired four shots at her torso. “It was a close range shooting and she died on the spot. She met DGP thrice in past week. But did not express concern of any threat to her life.”

He also said that Gauri had called him on Saturday asking to meet him. While he gave her an appointment for Monday, Reddy said that she did not show up.

When asked if her death was related to Kalburgi’s murder, Reddy said, “It looks like it is connected but we can't say conclusively until investigation is complete.”

He added that they would look through the CCTV footage from cameras in the surrounding areas.

Gauri was part of the Karnataka government's 'Naxal panel' in 2016, which was helping reformed Naxals surrender before the state police. Her inclusion in the panel however was opposed by the BJP, who called her a Naxal sympathiser.

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