A Special Investigative Team (SIT) probing the gruesome murder of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh have found a diary which mentions the ‘hit-list’. Lankesh’s name appears second among the 34 targets in the diary which was recovered last month from the suspect Amol Kale of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, who was arrested in connection with her killing.
The SIT has revealed that film and television personality Girish Karnad’s name appears first on the list. “There is a list of targets prepared by a radical Hindu group. The names of Karnad and Lankesh have been mentioned at slot number 1 and 2. We are investigating further,” a member of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) said.
Girish Karnad is among the most vocal critics of hardline Hindutva whose security was beefed up following the killing of Gauri Lankesh in September last year.
The names of politician, writer, social activist BT Lalitha Naik,religious leader Veerabhadra Channamalla Swamy of Nidumamidi Mutt and former Karnataka backward castes commission chairman C S Dwarakanath also figure in the list.
Mysuru-based writer and academic K.S. Bhagwan, Kannada writers Yogesh Master, Chandrashekhar Patil and Banajagere Jayaprakash were also listed as targets of the group.
The police have also provided security to literary figures Patil Putappa, Nataraj Huliyar, Baragur Ramachandrappa and Chennaveera Kanavi. Rationalist Narendra Nayak and S.M. Jamdar, the former IAS officer and proponent of separate religion status for the Lingayat community, were also provided state security.