New Delhi: Sri Ram Sene founder-president Pramod Muthalik triggered a controversy by comparing slain journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder to a dog’s death.
The incident came a day after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) summoned Rakesh Math, the Vijayapura district president of the Sene, for questioning in the case.
Addressing a public gathering, Muthalik hit back at critics demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his ‘silence’ over Lankesh’s killing.
“Two murders took place in Karnataka and two in Maharashtra in Congress rule. No one questioned Congress govt failure. Instead, they are asking why is PM Modi silent and not speaking on Gauri Lankesh’s death. Is Modi responsible even if any dog dies in Karnataka?” he said.
The Sene chief later clarified his comment, saying he did not make a direct comparison.
He added that Parshuram Vaghmare, who allegedly pulled the trigger on the veteran journalist, was not associated with his organisation.
According to a report in The Times of India, the 26-year-old Vaghmare is said to have told the SIT that he did not know who he was killing when he pulled the trigger on Lankesh.
He, however, reportedly claimed that he committed the murder to “save” his religion.
Reacting to the development in the nine-month-old investigation, Gauri Lankesh’s sister Kavita Lankesh told CNN-News18, “People are openly being threatened and harassed. We always knew why she was killed. Enough evidence is available…. How did he save his religion by killing my sister?”
Lankesh, 55, the Editor of ‘Lankesh Patrike’, was shot dead outside her residence in the city’s suburb by unidentified assailants on September 5 last year.
According to the police, of the total seven bullets fired by the unidentified men, three had hit Lankesh — two in the chest and one in the forehead.
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