Where is the democracy? Where is the right to expression? The soul of the constitution to express freely seems burnt dimly with the recent incident of the death of Gauri Lankesh, the Indian well-known Journalist and Hindu activist.
The Police have confirmed that Gauri Lankesh was killed by bombardment of gunshot while she was entering her house in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar in West Bangalore by three unidentified assailants. She was 55 and was known for her hothead writings on various social issues.
Ms. Lankesh was an owner and editor of “Gauri Lankesh”, a Kannada weekly. It had been revealed by the police that, while she got out of her car around 8 PM to open the main gate of the house, she was shot with four rounds by the assailants. She got shot by three bullets, one on the temple and two on her chest. Presence of four empty cartridges at the spot confirms that in total four shots were fired.
It is believed that the assailants were waiting for her on a two-wheeler, however it has not yet been confirmed, how they flew from the crime spot. One of a resident of the locality said on the terms of anonymity that there were huge round of firing on the spot when the incidence was taking place. The neighbours initially thought that, someone in the vicinity was bursting firecrackers. But it came out to be a shock for them when they saw the dead body of Gauri Lankesh lying outside her house. Immediately, the ambulance was called for and her friends and family were informed.
It is definitely not the first such incidence that took place, more of such deadly incidences related to freedom of expression had taken place in the past. Before two years, MM Kalburgi, a critic of a religious group was shot dead in the state of Karnataka where the murder of Gauri Lankesh took place. In a report, last year, the Committee to protect the Journalist had stated that since 1992, 27 Journalist have been killed and 25 other murders being investigated to establish their connection with the work of the Journalist.
Gauri Lankesh was one such fearless writer and critic of the organisations working in favour of the Hindu communities in Karnataka. Last year she was convicted in connection to defaming some members of the BJP of theft. She was also found stating that, she fears if India would be able to maintain her stand on the freedom of expression.
After this deadly incidence, the Press Club of India had stated that her murder may have been conspired in connection of her fierce work.