Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Sep 17: Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials, who have been putting in all out efforts to solve the mystery behind the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, have questioned over a dozen right-wing activists relating to the case. Some of these activists belong to Sanatan Sanstha, on which the needle of suspicion of the government had pointed in certain cases in the past.

It is gathered that a team was dispatched to Goa, where Sanathan Sanstha has its main Ashram, and another to Mumbai, where it has wide network. Both teams are likely to come back with details of the questioning sessions to be able to determine whether their roles need to be further investigated.

As already reported, balistic report of forensic science laboratory has concluded that this case has lot of similarities as far as weapon used and way in which the murder was executed, with the murders of rationalists, Narendra Danbholkar, Dr M M Kalburgi and Govind Pansare. As probes in these cases had suspected the role of Sanathan Sanstha in these killings, SIT took up the initiative to find out whether this hardcore Hindu entity could be behind Gauri's murder. A few persons connected with the Sanstha had also been arrested in the past in connection with bomb blast cases. National investigating agency had issued red corner notice against three of Sanstha activists, who supposedly had worked behind the blasts in Goa dating back to 2009.

SIT is also believed to have paid a visit to offices of some Hindu outfits in the city to question them on the murder of Gauri Lankesh.

Meanwhile, the SIT is yet to come to a conclusion as to which two-wheeler, either a motor bike or a scooter, was used by her killers. Although the team checked CCTV footage from hundreds of locations on the road traversed by Gauri Lankesh, they failed to determine whether the murderers were riding a scooter or motor bike.

The officials put together video recording of almost all the CCTV cameras on the route used by Gauri on September 5 before her death to check which vehicles closely followed the car driven by Gauri Lankesh. It is said that although they had reasons to be suspicious about a particular motor bike, they could not identify its registration number because of its headlight. Because of darkness, the rear number plate also was not visible. While some officials guessed that the vehicle in question was Pulsar motor bike, some others felt it to be Honda Dio. Although majority view is that it was a Pulsar bike, the fact that the city has around a lac Pulsar motor bikes, checking them individually is a daunting and time consuming exercise.

In the meantime, an unclaimed motor bike was fond abandoned on NICE Road near Magadi road. After some locals informed aout it, the police checked the two-wheeler and they are trying to find out about its owner.