Journalists from across India pay homage to Gauri Lankesh

Senior journalist Gauri Lankesh(55), known for her progressive and fearless writing, was shot dead at close range by unknown assailants at her home in Bengaluru yesterday. The 55 year-old journalist had returned home in her car and was opening the gate when motorcycle-borne assailants fired at her indiscriminately, with two bullets hitting her in the chest and forehead.

Gauri was the Editor of 'Lankesh Patrike',  a fearless, outspoken journalist who fought against superstition, communalism, fundamentalism. She was known to question the 'Hindutva' ideologies and considered a leftist.

Journalist from Kolkata, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Jaipur, Kerala, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and many other states condoled her death and paid homage to the veteran journalist/activist.

Below are the comments from few of the journalists, writers and other organisation on Gauri's cold blooded murder -

The Puducherry Journalists Association today condemned the murder of renowned Kannada journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru.

President of the Association D Sivakumar in a release here termed the murder as " beastly and highly condemnable."

He also said the culprits involved in the "cowardly act" should be brought to book and deterrent action should be taken.

The freedom of the press can never be gagged and protection of journalists coming out with candid comments and fearless views should be ensured in the larger interest of protecting democracy and constitutional supremacy, he added.

The Editors Guild of India today "strongly condemned" the murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh and called for a judicial probe into the incident.

Gauri, an outspoken critic of Hindutva politics, had "fearlessly" expressed her views on key issues in the Kannada tabloid 'Gauri Lankesh Patrike' edited by her, as well as in other fora.

"The Editors Guild of India is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the murder of Gauri Lankesh.

"Her killing is an ominous portent for dissent in democracy and a brutal assault on freedom of press," it said in a statement.

The body also demanded that the Karnataka government act with alacrity to bring the culprits to book, apart from instituting a judicial probe into the killing.

The Indian Writers' Forum today pledged to continue her fight against the "haters of free speech and a plural India".

A statement from the forum described Lankesh, who was killed at her home in Bengaluru yesterday, as a "voice of dissent, a voice of reason" who was "silenced with guns".

"The forum condemns the continued unmaking of India in which writers, artists, scholars, rationalists - and indeed any citizen who exercises her right to speak freely - is no longer safe.

"We will continue to speak on her behalf and ours. They cannot silence us all," the statement read.

It termed the murder of the 55-year-old journalist, known for her left-leaning outlook and forthright views on Hindutva politics, "a chilling continuation" of the series of killings of rationalists, writers, scholars and activists like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and M M Kalburgi.

"None of the murderers has been punished, though much points to the extended right wing family. Instead, the punishment of critic voices continues, as do attacks on Muslims, dalits, adivasis and women - Indian citizens all."

The Forum remembered Lankesh as a person who performed her duties as journalist and a citizen with "uncompromising honesty".

"She was guided by democratic, secular values, that insist on an India in which speaking up against division and hatred is every citizen's right," it said.

Signatories of the statement include Githa Hariharan, K Satchidanandan, Ashok Vajpeyi, Ganesh Devy, Nayantara Sahgal, Keki Daruwalla, Kiran Nagarkar, Shashi Deshpande, romila Thapar, Anuradha Kapur, Indira Jaisingh, Shyam B Menon, Chandrakant Patilk and Adil Jussawalla.

The Indian Women's Press Corps on Wednesday expressed deep shock and outrage at the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, saying the "silencing" of a journalist in this manner has "dangerous portents" for Indian democracy.

The IWPC demanded that the government arrest those involved in the murder immediately.

In a statement, it said: "IWPC expresses its deep shock and outrage at the brazen and dastardly killing of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru. Lankesh was known for her outspoken views and steadfast commitment to liberal values. She was a trenchant critic of obscurantism and conservative values.

"The silencing of a journalist in this manner has dangerous portents for Indian democracy. The IWPC demands that the government apprehend the perpetrators at the earliest and expose those behind this planned murder of a senior woman journalist."

The US Embassy here on Wednesday condemned the murder of senior Kannada journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh.

"The U.S. Mission in India joins advocates of press freedom in India and world-wide in condemning the murder of respected journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru," the Embassy said in a statement.

"We offer our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Ms. Lankesh," it stated.

From CM Siddaramiah to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, all the top officials have promised to solve the case and bring the culprits out in the open. SIT (Special Investigation Teams) have been set up by the government to probe the murder case. 

Congress, BJP, RSS and all the other major party heads condoled Gauri's death.