Gauri murder: No contact with absconding members, claims Sanatan Sanstha

Bengaluru, Oct 7: Hardline Hindutva outfit Sanatan Sanstha on Saturday claimed that it was being defamed in connection with the murder of senior journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh.

"There must be proof of the crime. Just because someone is missing does not mean he or she has committed the crime," Sanatan Sanstha spokesperson Chetan Rajhans said.

Five members of the Sanatan Sanstha are suspected of murdering Lankesh, and of being involved in a bomb blast in Madgaon, Goa in 2009. The suspects are: Jayaprakash alias Anna (45), from Mangaluru; Praveen Limkar (34), from Kolhapur; Sarang Akolkar (38), from Pune; Rudra Patil (37), from Sangli and Vinay Pawar (32), from Satara. All of them are absconding.

Asked about the whereabouts of the five absconding members, Rajhans informed that the organisation has not been in contact with them since 2009. He assured that the organisation will assist in the investigations.

"The allegations are baseless, and false propaganda is being circulated by anti-Hindu elements. It seems like a preplanned conspiracy to defame the Hindu religion," Rajhans added.

Rajhans said there has been no official statement by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Karnataka, to suggest that the organisation is involved in the case.

Karnataka Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy has said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has received 'some information and clues' about the Lankesh murder case. Gauri was murdered on September 5 outside her residence in Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwari Nagar.