Gauri Lankesh's killers will be caught shortly: Minister

Senior journalist Gauri Lankesh's killers will "100 per cent be caught" in a few weeks, Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy said on Saturday.

Mr Reddy said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the killing had clues about the assailants, but those could not be disclosed at the moment.

"Who has done it...I am aware of it thanks to an update provided by the SIT. But I cannot disclose it now," Mr Reddy said at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Press Club of Bangalore
and the Bangalore Reporters' Guild.

"Gauri's killers will 100 per cent be caught. This will happen in a few weeks," he said.

"Weeks do not mean one or two weeks. It (the arrest of the killers) will happen in a matter of a few weeks. This will happen 100 per cent," he added.

The Karnataka Home Minister said it was "one issue" whether Gauri Lankesh was killed by left-wing or right-wing extremists or whether it was because of "some other thinking".

Gauri Lankesh, who was known for her anti-right wing views, was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside her home on the night of September 5.

The murder led to a national outrage and protests by several groups over "rising intolerance" in the country, with the criticism targeted at the BJP-led central government and right-wing groups.

The SIT had last month released three sketches of the two suspects in the case. The SIT also released a video of the recce done by the suspects. The man who shot her had arrived at the scene on a motorcycle with another man and was wearing a motorcycle helmet when the murder took place.

On October 4, Karnataka home minister Ramalinga Reddy said the SIT had identified the killers and had clues but that police was trying to collect proper evidence.

The Congress government in Karnataka, which constituted the SIT headed by Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) BK Singh, has also announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for anyone providing
clues about the killers.

Gauri Lankesh edited the anti-establishment Gauri Lankesh Patrike. 

Her killing was very similar to the earlier killings of the rationalists and activists Govind Pansare, Narendra Dabholkar, and MM Kalburgi who were equally critical of the right wing.

The journalist's family has made a plea not to give a political colour to her killing.

They had said the investigators should look into all possible aspects of the case, as reports had emerged about a possible Naxal hand in the crime, besides the suspected involvement of right-wing
extremists.