Gauri Lankesh was identified as "Durjan" by crime syndicate that plotted her murder: SIT
Bengaluru, Nov 26: Late journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh was identified as 'Durjan' (evil person) by the crime syndicate that plotted her murder, the Special Investigation Team probing the case has said, adding artificial intelligence systems were used to verify identity of suspected people in the killing.
Inspired by the Goa-based right wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha literature, the syndicate, comprising 18 people, named Lankesh as "Durjan" in August 2016 and started hatching a conspiracy to kill her, the SIT said.
The 55-year-old Lankesh, known for her left-leanings and strident anti-Hindutva views, was shot dead in front of her house here on September 5 last year, triggering national outrage and widespread condemnation.
The SIT said artificial Intelligence systems were used to extract images of suspected people and vehicles to compare with the footage obtained from 200 terabytes of video data from the CCTV cameras installed at major roads and junctions by the Bengaluru City Police.
The SIT said it interviewed and examined more than 2500 people and also traced 10,000 suspected two-wheelers and interviewed their owners.
Experts also analysed lakhs of cell phone tower dumps and mobile phone numbers, it said.
The SIT had filed the first charge sheet in May and the additional one on Friday last.
In August 2016, at a meeting of the Syndicate, the main members identified Lankesh as a "Durjan" "as told in the Kshatra Dharma Sadhana based on her speeches and writings," the SIT said.
They jointly hatched a conspiracy to murder Lankesh in furtherance of the achievement of their goal and executed it in several parts, the SIT said detailing the progress of investigation after filing the additional charge sheet.
Two months after the gang zeroed in on Lankesh, its member Vasudev Suryavamshi alias Mechanic and Sujith Kumar stole a bike and gave it to the alleged mastermind Amol Kale, it said.
Further, Dada alias Nihal, who is at large, assigned H L Suresh to find the address of Lankesh, it said, adding, Amit Baddi and Ganesh Miskin carried out the recce on her.
A fortnight before the killing, syndicate members Parashuram Waghmare and Ganesh Miskin carried out shooting practice in a hilly region near Kiniye in Belagavi, according to the SIT.
The team said Bharat Kurne took Ganesh Miskin, Parshuram Waghmare and Sharad Kalaskar to Kiniye.
Sharad Kalaskar trained Waghmare and Miskin how to shoot using country made pistols.
The shooting practice was last of the final preparations and planning, the SIT said.
According to the investigation team, the first attempt to kill Lankesh was made on September 4 but it did not materialise.
The next day, Ganesh Miskin rode the bike while Waghmare was the pillion rider.
They parked their bike near Lankesh's house and waited for 10 minutes.
Soon after Lankesh came home, Waghmare fired four bullets, killing her instantaneously, the SIT said.
While 16 members have been arrested, two are still at large.
They have been identified as Vikas Patil alias Dada and Rushikesh Deodikar alias Murali, the SIT said.
During the probe, the SIT said, various line of investigations were taken up probing the angle of personal enmity, involvement of left-wing extremism, profession related and right wing extremism.
However, "The first breakthrough in the case happened when the material objects recovered from the scene of crime were analysed at the State Forensic Science Laboratory here.
The forensic ballistic analysis established that the pistol used to murder Lankesh was the same pistol used to murder MM Kalburgi at Dharwad in Karnataka and Govind Pansare at Kolhapur in Maharashtra (all rationalists), the SIT said.
Footage of several CCTV systems within a radius of five km of Lankesh's house were collected and examined minutely for further clues. This included footage of four CCTV cameras installed at Lankesh's house.
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Kharge bids farewell to retiring members in RS, urges review of House rules
New Delhi, Mar 18 (PTI): Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday bid farewell to retiring members and called for a review of the rules of procedure and conduct of business in the House.
He also said the House should have more sittings so that issues of public importance can be discussed with all seriousness.
Kharge also called for more participation from Opposition members in formulating legislation. Any impediment to that would weaken the institution of parliament, he said.
"It is my firm belief that a periodic review of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Rajya Sabha is essential. This matter is currently under consideration before the General Purposes Committee (GPC), and it warrants serious deliberation," he said.
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Kharge is retiring but will return to the House.
"Those involved in politics never retire from public life, nor do they ever grow tired in their passion for serving the nation," he noted.
Kharge said institutions endure, while faces of people within them keep changing.
"We extend a warm welcome to those colleagues who have been re-elected to the House. As for those who are retiring and departing from this House, I am confident that they will continue to contribute meaningfully to public life.
"The experience gained here will undoubtedly empower them to undertake even more significant roles in the future," the Leader of Opposition said soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his remarks in the House.
Noting that while fulfilling his own responsibilities, he constantly strived to listen to the viewpoints of all sides -- to learn from the constructive ideas presented and to put them into practice.
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"My time in this Upper House has been filled with a mix of both pleasant and challenging experiences. It is my firm belief that significant new initiatives are required to make this House even more meaningful -- so that the Upper House may convey a more positive message to society and the nation, and provide effective guidance," he said.
Kharge said the Constitution grants every Member of Parliament the freedom to express their views fearlessly, and without debate and deliberation, parliamentary institutions hold no true significance.
"If freedom of thought is curtailed, many avenues become closed off. When good legislation is enacted, it is not merely the ruling party but also the Members of Parliament from the Opposition who play an equal role in its formulation. They play a pivotal role within parliamentary committees. I feel that any impediment to these roles would serve to weaken the parliamentary institution," the Congress MP said.
He said the number of sittings of the House should be increased, and serious deliberations should be held on issues concerning the public.
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"There should be greater scope to discuss issues concerning the interests of the poor, the marginalised sections of society, farmers, and labourers. Often, when we raise these issues, the ruling party perceives it as criticism and begins to refute it without even listening; whereas, the government ought to give serious consideration to the concerns of the people," he said.
The Leader of the Opposition observed that even within the limited opportunities available, when Members of Parliament articulate significant points, those remarks are frequently expunged from the proceedings -- even though they are not unparliamentary in nature.
"The removal of specific words often distorts the very meaning and intent of the statement made," he said, as he bid farewell to several party colleagues who are retiring from the Upper House.
