‘Gauri murder was planned for 5 yrs’: SIT files additional chargesheet against 18 accused

Bengaluru, Nov 24: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has submitted an additional chargesheet against 18 accused in a special court naming Sanatan Sanstha behind the killing.

Special Public Prosecutor in the case S Balan said that a crime syndicate under the Sanatan Sanstha was behind the murder and all the accused arrested in the case were members of this organisation. Gauri Lankesh was shot dead in front of her house in Rajarajeshwari Nagar on September 5, 2017. He said the probe revealed that the accused were planning to eliminate Gauri Lankesh for five years.

Four policemen carried a metal trunk containing the 9,235-page charge sheet to the special court for Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act (KCOCA) on Friday, November 23, evening and submitted it before principal city civil and sessions court Judge Shivashankar B Amarannavar.

"We have also sought permission for further investigation," MN Anuchet, chief investigating officer, SIT, said.

The first chargesheet in the case was filed in May this year. Maddur-based gun-runner KT Naveen Kumar was the only accused named in it.

The second chargesheet contains details of 18 other accused, including those arrested from Maharashtra. It explains how all 18 accused came together with the intention to kill Gauri Lankesh, hatched the plot and finally executed it.

Of 19 accused in the case, 18 have been arrested. The only accused at large is Nihal alias Dada. The chargesheet copy draws from mobile call detail records of prime suspects like Amol Kale and Sudhanva Gondelkar, Pune residents who played a crucial role in the killing. It contains confessions of the accused, SIT sources said.

Sources added, "Confessions of alleged shooter Parashuram Waghmore, alleged trainer Rajesh D Bangera and Belagavi businessman Bharat Kurne, who sheltered the accused, are comparatively large and run into over 30 pages each," they said, adding "The confessions of the accused run into more than 500 pages."

The chargesheet also explained the larger conspiracy was to strategically eliminate 43 other liberals and rationalists in Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, some of whom survived murder attempts.

The SIT observed that the accused allegedly had links with a Goa-based right-wing organisation. “Maharashtrabased men like Amol Kale and Amit Digwekar had a strong relationship with the organisation,” the chargesheet said.

302 (murder), 118 (concealing design to commit offence,) 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 35 (whenever an act, which is criminal only by reason of it being done with a criminal knowledge or intention). The SIT filed the first chargesheet on May 29. The 650-page chargesheet named KT Naveen Kumar of Maddur as the accused who had ample knowledge of the killing. The SIT alleged that Gauri was shot dead due to her strong anti-Hindutva views.