Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)
Bengaluru, Jul 18: It has come to light that the main accused in the murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh is the one who shot senior researcher and progressive thinker M M Kalburgi.
Ganesh Miskin of Hubballi origin, who is doing the business of incense sticks, got in touch with some Hindu fundamentalist groups. He was identified by Umadevi, wife of the deceased Kalburgi and another witness of the murder in an identification parade that was held in Dharwad on Wednesday, July 17. It is also learnt the Umadevi collapsed the moment she saw Miskin in the line-up of culprits in the parade.
M M Kalburgi (left) and Gauri Lankesh
On the morning of August 30, 2015, Umadevi has seen Miskin. When Miskin knocked on the door, she opened the door for him. Then, Miskin asked for professor Kalburgi. When Kalburgi came at the door, Miskin fired on his forehead with a 7.65 mm pistol. He has used the same pistol to kill Gauri Lankesh on September 5, 2017.
SIT police had arrested shooter Parashuram Wagmore and Amol Kale in connection with the murder of Gauri Lankesh. They also arrested Praveen Prakash Chathu on May 31 based on the statements given by eyewitnesses in the murder case of Kalburgi. There is a possibility of SIT filing a charge sheet in the murder case Kalburgi in the near future.
The Supreme Court had directed SIT, in February 2019, to conduct an inquiry into the murder of Kalburgi along with that of Gauri Lankesh.