Not against SIT probe: Gauri’s brother Indrajit Lankesh

BENGALURU: The family of slain journalist Gauri Lankesh has said they are fine with the special investigation team (SIT) set up by the Karnataka government to investigate her murder on September 5. They had initially demanded a CBI probe. Gauri's brother Indrajit Lankesh said: “I am not against the special investigation team’s investigation into my sister’s murder. We do not have a preference for any specific agency. We want to give the SIT a chance to probe.” The family declined to comment on a controversy set off by senior BJP MLA and former minister D N Jeevaraj, who said some of Gauri’s anti-Hindutva writings had resulted in her death.

Addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Koppa of Chikmagalur district, a party stronghold on Thursday, during the “Mangaluru chalo” bike rally, Jeevraj said: “Cheddigala marana homa anta baride idre ivattu jeevantavaagi irtidralva?”” (If she (Gauri) had not written ‘the celebration of the death of Sangh parivar workers,’ wouldn’t she have been alive today?) CM Siddaramaiah on Thursday said, “What does this statement by an MLA mean? Doesn’t it indicate who is behind the killing?” Home minister Ramalinga Reddy told ET: “We are looking into what prompted the MLA to make that statement. We have taken the investigation very seriously.”

Jeevaraj, against whom a complaint has been filed in the Koppa police station, told ET he had made that statement in the context that Gauri had not taken up the cause of the deaths of Sangh parivar workers and had instead mocked them.