Karnataka govt forms SIT after outrage over Gauri Lankesh’s killing

New Delhi/Bengaluru, September 6 : The Karnataka government on Wednesday decided to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the killing of senior journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh. Briefing reporters after a meeting with top police officials and state Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the SIT would be headed by an Inspector General-level officer.He said the state government was firm on tracking down the culprits at the earliest, and directed the Director General of Police to form the SIT.
To a query, the chief minister said he had an “open mind” for a probe by the CBI in the case. “But let the SIT investigate. If family members (of Gauri) are very particular, I have an open mind,” he said.The murder of Lankesh, an outspoken critic of Hindutva politics, who was shot dead at her Bengaluru house on Tuesday night, has drawn shock and outrage from across the country.
Lankesh, 55, 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 one on her forehead, police officials said. She died instantaneously. Her body has been shifted to Victoria hospital for post-mortem and the cremation will take place on Thursday.Lankesh was the editor of the Gauri Lankesh Patrike, a magazine described as an ‘anti-establishment’ publication. She was the elder daughter of P Lankesh, a man who brought in a new brand of Kannada journalism.