Kalburgi case: SIT files chargesheet, says Gauri Lankesh’s alleged killer shot researcher Kalburgi

Agencies
August 18, 2019

Bengaluru, Aug 18: The SIT said that the reason behind killing Dr Kalburgi was his observations while delivering a keynote address during a discussion on June 9, 2014The special investigation team, probing the death of researcher Dr M M Kalburgi, said that the he was shot by the hitman allegedly involved in the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh. The team had stated this in the charge sheet filed in he Hubballi-Dharwad district court. Kalburgi was shot dead in August 2015.

The other accused in the case were Amol Kale, Praveen Prakash Chatur, Vasudev Bhagavan Suryavamshi, Sharad Kalaskar and Amith Ramchandra Baddi, the SIT said in a press release.

The gang was allegedly inspired by a book ‘Kshatra Dharma Sadhana’ brought out by the Sanatan Sanstha, a Hindu extremist group, the SIT said.

Why was Kalburgi killed?

The SIT said that the reason behind killing Dr Kalburgi was his observations while delivering a keynote address during a discussion on June 9, 2014 under the topic, “Towards a superstition free society”. This was a debate on the enactment of Karnataka Prevention of Superstitious Practices Bill, 2013 and was held at the Vigyan Bhavan in Bengaluru.

Based on his speech, the gang depicted him as a ‘durjan’ (devil incarnate), as mentioned in Kshatra Dharma Sadhana.

“They had jointly hatched a conspiracy to murder Kalburgi in furtherance of the achievement of their goals and executed it,” the SIT said.

The gang members stole a bike to execute their plan, did a recce of their target and did practise shooting in a rubber plantation at Pilathabettu village in Dakshina Kannada district.

“Praveen Chatur and Ganesh Miskin then went on a stolen bike and reached Kalburgis house at about 8.30 am on August 30, 2015.

Ganesh Miskin, the alleged hitman in the Gauri Lankesh case, then went to the house and shot Kalburgi twice on his forehead and killed him, said the SIT.

The same gang had allegedly killed Gauri Lankesh on the evening of September 5, 2017, outside her house.

In the Lankesh case, Miskin allegedly rode the bike while Parashuram Waghmare, another accused in the case, had fired.

The bullets and empty cartridges found at the scene of Lankesh’s murder had reportedly revealed that the same country-made pistol was used to kill Kalburgi, suggesting that one outfit or group was responsible for both the killings.

The SIT, formed to probe into the Lankesh case, was told by the Supreme Court in 2019 to investigate into the Kalburgi case too.

Both the killings had triggered a nationwide protest.

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News Network
January 20,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 20: A teenage girl drowned after a boat in which she was traveling in capsized in the river Netravati at Uliya Hoige, Ullal, police said on Monday.

Meanwhile, four other girls who were also traveling on the same boat were rescued by the locals, the police added. The mishap happened on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as 18-year-old Renita, a resident of Miyapadavu.

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News Network
March 3,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 3: Chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday introduced the Karnataka Municipalities and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Bill, 2020, in the assembly to give voters the opportunity to reject candidates in civic polls.

The bill, if passed, will enable election officials to offer the NOTA option in the elections to municipal corporations on the lines of assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

An amendment bill which seeks to enable the government to set up a separate university for the districts of Raichur and Yadgir was also tabled. The government said the workload of Gulbarga University necessitated creation of a separate university for the two districts, a move that will also help reduce regional imbalance in Kalyana Karnataka region.

Another amendment bill seeks to allow industrial units, which have failed to start operations on allotted land after seven years, to sell off the parcels to another unit. Bills which empower authorised agencies to regulate turf clubs and horse racing and regulate salary and pension of teachers in higher education institutions were also introduced in the assembly on Monday.

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News Network
January 2,2020

Bengaluru, Jan 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday slammed states, which have not enrolled with the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana (PMKSY), saying that such petty politics has done great damage to the farming community.

"I expect that in the new year, those states which are not associated with the Kisan Samman Yojana will at least become a part of it this year," the Prime Minister said at a function in Tumakuru where he disbursed Rs 12,000 crore to six crore beneficiaries under the government scheme in one-go.

Also, he gave away the Krishi Karman Award to the selected farmers and distributed fishing equipment to the chosen ones on the occasion. Modi said political considerations by the state governments in implementing the PMKSY has caused severe loss to the poor farmers.

"Such politics has never strengthened the farmers. Our government understood your (farmers') needs, requirements and your aspirations and accordingly tried to implement the schemes," said Modi.

He further said his government never saw agriculture in fragments but in its totality. Claiming his government has ensured that the entire money reached the poor beneficiaries, Prime Minister hit out at the previous governments, when middlemen ruled the roost.

"There was a time when a rupee was rolled out (by the government) for the poor person, only 15 paise would reach him. The middlemen would pocket the remaining 85 paise. "Today, whatever money is dispatched from Delhi, the entire amount directly reaches the bank account of the beneficiary," he said.

He told the gathering about the various initiatives taken by his government to improve the agriculture sector such as completing the pending irrigation schemes, soil health card and 100 per cent neem-coating in urea.

Due to the initiatives of the government, agriculture production has gone up, he said. Speaking about measures in the fisheries sector, the Prime Minister said the sector has been promoted in the villages, financial help given to fishermen, modernisation of boats and building fisheries-related infrastructure have been done.

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