BENGALURU: Three members of the 21-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to investigate the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh, thoroughly searched her office in Gandhi Bazaar on Friday.
The team arrived at the first floor office on East Anjaneya Road at 3.30 pm and examined all files, Gauri’s cupboards, office records and computers for about five hours. The search went on till about 8.30 pm, an employee at Gauri’s office told Express.
Local police personnel were deployed outside the office to prevent anyone from entering during the search. The staff members were confined to a separate small room within the office premises during the search.
Banaswadi ACP Ravikumar, DCP Harish Pandey from Mysuru and Inspector Ashwath were part of the search team. According to sources, they searched for any vital clues or evidence from the computers, documents and files at the office, but did not question any of the staffers.
A staff member told Express that the team took away many documents, files, and books from the office. Though the team examined the content in the computers, they did not take them with them. The team did not question the staff members on Friday. However sources said the staffers have already been subjected to one round of questioning.
As for as the future of the tabloid, a staff member said that the next issue would be published on Tuesday and it would be a special edition dedicated entirely to Gauri Lankesh. The staff member added that Gauri had not confided about threats to her life from any source or any possibility of a threat with her staff members in recent days.
SIT probes similarities in Kalburgi, Gauri murder
Bengaluru: A day after the SIT began its probe into senior journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team headed by Ravindranath visited her residence to gather some more evidence at the crime scene. Meanwhile FSL personnel collected fingerprints gathered by CID officials in M M Kalburagi’s murder case to see if the assailants are the same people.
On Thursday, the teams investigated the case for more than 11 hours and compared the modus operandi of the killers. Inspector General (IG) B K Singh held a meeting with the team at CID office on Palace Road to discuss of the progress of the investigation. Later, the SIT gathered documents collected by CID officials who shared the details related to Kalburagi’s murder.
18 intellectuals, seers get security cover
Bengaluru: Following the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, the state government has decided to extend security to as many as 18 intellectuals and seers in the state. The decision was made based on the threats received by the concerned over the last couple of years.
Among the ones who have been extended police protection include Thontadarya Nijagunananda Swamiji, writers Prof Marulasiddappa, Baragur Ramachandrappa, Girish Karnad, Chandrashekar Patil, Paatil Puttappa and activists Shivanand Jamdar and Bhaskar Prasad. The state government had recently decided to extend security to thinkers and intellectuals who received threats for their views.