Lankesh murder accused return home, get grand welcome from pro-Hindu groups

The accused in the murder of activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh received a warm reception from pro-Hindu organisations upon their return to Vijayapura

The accused in the murder of activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh received a warm reception from pro-Hindu organisations upon their return to Vijayapura on Saturday after being released on bail, prompting criticism from Lankesh’s family.

Parashuram Waghmore, who allegedly was the gunman who shot and killed Lankesh, and Manohar Yadave were greeted with shawls, garlands and public honours (HT PHOTO)

Parashuram Waghmore, who allegedly was the gunman who shot and killed Lankesh, and Manohar Yadave were greeted with shawls, garlands and public honours. The Bengaluru Sessions Court granted them bail on October 9 after nearly six and a half years of imprisonment. They were released from Parappana Agrahara Central Prison on October 11 and returned to their hometown of Vijayapura.

Waghmore, from Sindagi town, and Yadave, from Ratnapura village, were arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 13, 2018 in connection with Lankesh’s murder on September 5, 2017. They are among 18 individuals accused in the case.

Upon arrival in Vijayapura, members of local Hindu organisations and Sri Ram Sena welcomed them. The accused first offered prayers at the Kalika Mandir before being publicly honoured. In front of a large crowd, they were draped in shawls and garlands, later paying tribute to the Shivaji statue at Shivaji Circle.

Sri Ram Sena leader Neelakanta Kandagal accused the Congress government of unfairly targeting pro-Hindu activists. He referenced Sadhvi Pragya Singh’s case, arguing that Waghmore and Yadave were similarly falsely implicated. “Both the accused were falsely booked by the police and will be released by the court once their innocence is proven,” Kandagal said.

Lankesh’s murder shocked India and drew international attention to far-right Hindu groups accused of targeting rationalist thinkers, including MM Kalburgi and Narendra Dabholkar, both of whom were murdered. the risks faced by journalists in the country.

The assassination prompted the then Karnataka government to form an SIT, which arrested 25 individuals. Eight of the accused, including Waghmore and Yadave, have secured bail so far.

Lankesh’s sister, Kavitha Lankesh, expressed shock at the welcome given to the accused. She told Hindustan Times, “I was shocked to see the warm reception given to the accused. It is really disturbing. Such incidents occurred in northern Indian states earlier, but now it is happening in our state as well. It’s really sad.”

Forensic evidence connected Lankesh’s murder to that of professor Kalburgi, killed on August 30 2015, with bullets fired from the same gun.

The murder of Dabholkar, a well-known anti-superstition crusader, was the first in a chain of similar killings of three other rationalists and activists: Communist Party of India leader Govind Pansare in Kolhapur in February 2015, Kannada-language scholar MM Kalburgi in Dharwad in August 2015, and journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru in September 2017.

Among the suspects are current and past members of the Hindu Janagajruti Samiti (HJS) and its sister organisation, the Goa-based Sanatan Sanstha, which has been alleged to have had a role in these conspiracies – a claim they have denied.