Special court will deal with Gauri Lankesh, MM Kalburgi murder cases: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has order the setting up of a special court to quicken the hearings in the cases of murder of rationalist MM Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh, who were both known for holding strong views and being vocal against communalism and religious fundamentalism.
The investigations of the cases have revealed that the murders had been ideologically motivated and linked to a wider conspiracy that targeted left-weaning activists.
Kalburgi had been shot dead outside his house in Dharwad in August 2015. The legal proceedings had been consistently delayed although the charge sheet was submitted in 2018 and family inquiries had been completed. Following persistent requests by Umadevi M, the CM, in an order dated December 2, directed the initiation of necessary action to form a special court exclusively for the Kalburgi murder case.
Gauri Lankesh, who was a journalist, was assassinated in a similar manner in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. The police arrested 18 persons for involvement in the case, and also presented a comprehensive charge sheet with as many as 1,200 pieces of evidence in the murder case.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had said in the charge sheet filed in 2019 that 'Sanatan Sanstha', the Hindu extremist organization, was responsible for the murder of Gauri Lankesh, adding that the murder was linked to the killing of other activists and rationalists like Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare. The police officers had concluded that a common group, driven by ideological motives, was behind the murders.
The trial began in July 2022 but was hampered by the court backlog. In response to the Gauri Lankesh's sister Kavita Lankesh's plea, Siddaramaiah ordered the formation of the special court with a full-time judge.
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My husband watches his friends rape me here from abroad: Uttar Pradesh woman
Bulandshahr: In a distressing incident, a 35-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr has accused her husband of allowing his friends to rape her for the past three years in exchange for money, while he watched the video recording of the sexual assault from Saudi Arabia, where he works.
In her police complaint, the survivor shared the details of her distressing ordeal. She stated that about three years ago, her husband returned home with two friends and permitted them to rape her, as reported by Times of India on Thursday.
"Both the men live in the same locality in Bulandshahr, and they would assault me often even when my husband was abroad, and video recorded their acts. When I confronted my husband, he told me to remain silent as they gave him money," the woman stated in her police complaint. “My husband would watch the video footage on his mobile phone while sitting in Saudi Arabia. I stayed quiet for the sake of my children, as he use to threatened to divorce me," she added.
Recently, the woman, accompanied by her family, approached Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar with her complaint. "Since the matter is three years old, a thorough investigation will be done by the local police, and appropriate action will be taken in the matter," Kumar told the publication.
The couple got married in 2010 and have four children - two boys (aged 13 and 3) and two girls (aged 11 and 7). Her husband works as an automobile mechanic in Saudi Arabia and visits home once or twice a year.
The survivor’s brother told TOI that the family only learned about her situation two weeks ago. He explained that his sister had suffered in silence, not telling anyone about the abuse. Her husband had recently returned home, and after a quarrel between the couple, she finally gathered the courage to speak up. It was then that they discovered the extent of the assault she had endured over the years.
"She kept silent for the sake of her children and family's reputation. At present, she is nearly a month pregnant,” he shared. He further claimed that the accused and his his associates are trying to flee abroad to evade arrest. "We demand justice," he added.
