BENGALURU: Thursday is the second death anniversary of editor-cum-activist Gauri Lankesh. On September 5, 2017, Gauri was shot dead allegedly by Parshuram Waghmare just outside her house in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru around 8.30pm.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Gauri’s sister and filmmaker Kavita Lankesh said till date she hasn’t mustered enough courage to confront her sister’s assailants in court. “I have extreme anger against them but I don’t want to see them. I haven’t attended the court trials. I miss Gauri. She was more a dear friend to me than a sister. It’s two years since Gauri was cruelly snatched away from us but it feels like as if she left us yesterday,” Kavita said. “There are times when I feel she is alive because so many people are in touch with us regarding her work. There’s so much about Gauri on social media... I feel Gauri is around me when I read and hear about her,” said Kavita.
The SIT has submitted the chargesheet against 18 people, with alleged links to Sanatan Sanstha including Waghmare, in the Gauri murder case. Out of them, 16 are in judicial custody. “I hope they get appropriate punishment. Thanks to the SIT, Gauri and three other liberal thinkers - Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and M M Kalburgi - who were allegedly assassinated by the same module have got justice,” she added.
The fourth edition of a compilation of Gauri’s writings in Kannada will be released tomorrow.