Sanatan Sanstha spokesperson calls slain journalist Gauri Lankesh extortionist

Chetan Rajhans, official spokesperson of Sanatan Sanstha has termed slain Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh as an extortionist and linked her to Naxals. He also went on to say how the Hindu community is being targetted these days. 

Rajhans in an interview to News18 questioned that why isn't anybody talking about Lankesh getting convicted in the Prahlad Joshi defamation case. 

Last year, Lankesh was convicted of defamation by a magistrate’s court for an article published in her weekly, which accused two senior BJP leaders of having duped a businessman. She was sentenced to six months in jail and fined Rs 10,000. She was later granted bail. 

When pro-communist people like Dabholkar, Kulburgi and Pansare were killed, Chief Minister of Tripura and Sitaram Yechury made statements but when pro-Hindutva supporters were killed nobody talks about them, says Rajhans.

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Alleging that Lankesh and her brother were in the middle of a property dispute, Rajhans said that this angle should be investigated.

When asked whether Sanatan Sanstha is aided by RSS or not, Chetan Rajhans said no.

Gauri Lankesh, senior journalist, editor of Gauri Lankesh Patrike was shot dead by unidentified assailants on Tuesday night in Bengaluru, Karnataka. 

An anti-establishment figure, she was last year found guilty of defamation against two BJP leaders in Hubballi. 

She was also an activist for Dalit rights and a staunch opponent of right-wing politics.

Her killing by shooting is reminiscent of the killings of rationalists M M Kalburgi in August 2015 and Narendra Dabholkar in August 2013.

Members of Sanathan Sanstha were arrested in relation with the murders of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi, as well as for four bombings in Vashi, Thane, Panvel and Goa.