After a meeting with Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, DG and IG, R.K. Dutta, SIT chief, B.K. Singh, Bengaluru city police commissioner, T. Suneel Kumar and intelligence chief, A.M. Prasad, home minister, R. Ramalinga Reddy said the SIT was expediting the investigation. “We are exploring the right and left wing and other angles,” the state home minister said.
Mr Reddy said the government had stepped up the investigation, and deputed abundant personnel to SIT. “They are doing the job round the clock. They are collecting information from all sources,” he said.
He added that this included investigating threats from the left wing and the family, with importance given to the threats from right-wing activists as the case bore similarities with the killing of Dr. M. M. Kalburgi’s and that Ms. Lankesh openly criticised right wing ideologies.
Sources said that though the Naxal angle is being probed, it had taken a back seat. “In any incident involving Naxals, they will leave some clue to show that it is their act. In most of the cases, they throw naxal related pamphlets at the crime scene to make it clear that why they committed the act. But in this case, no such signs are there. As Ms. Lankesh explicitly criticised and aired her views against right wing ideology, we have given importance to that angle. On the personal front, we have not got any reason that would lead to a murder,” an official said.
On Friday, the SIT held several rounds of meetings to discuss the probe done so far and to exchange information gathered by various teams. SIT officials also held talks with forensic experts, who also visited the crime scene.
“The modus operandi and the weapon used in the crime are similar to Dr. M. M. Kalburgi’s case. However, we are yet to receive certain articles from the police, which they seized from the crime scene. Only after examination and analysis of the bullets, cartridges and studying the nature of injury can we come to a conclusion whether both the murders are committed by the same gang,” an FSL expert said.
