Hindutva groups felicitate Gauri Lankesh killers after bail
Members of Hindutva groups, including Sangh Parivar organisations and Shri Rama Sene, publicly felicitated Parshuram Waghmore, the man who allegedly shot and killed journalist Gauri Lankesh, following his release on bail.
Waghmore and his co-accused, Manohar Yadve, were honored in Vijayapura on Friday, after being freed from Bengaluru Central Prison.
Waghmore and Yadve, both of whom hail from Vijayapura, were among eight individuals granted bail by a Bengaluru Sessions Court on 9 October.
The bail was granted to key figures in the high-profile murder case, including Amol Kale, the alleged mastermind behind the assassination, and Ganesh Miskin, the getaway driver.
This latest order brings the number of accused out on bail to 16, out of a total of 18 charged in connection with Gauri Lankesh's murder.
Upon their release on 11 October, Waghmore and Yadve performed a religious ceremony at the Kalika Temple in Vijayapura. They were then garlanded by Hindutva activists, who later led them to a statue of Shivaji at Shivaji Circle, where they paid tribute to the Maratha king.
The murder of Gauri Lankesh on 5 September, 2017, shocked the nation and raised concerns about the increasing intolerance toward dissenting voices in India. A staunch critic of right-wing extremism, Lankesh was gunned down outside her Bengaluru residence, sparking widespread protests demanding justice.
The investigation revealed that the accused, including Waghmore, Kale, and Miskin, had been planning the murder for months. The plot reportedly began to take shape after the accused viewed a video of Lankesh making a speech at a public event in Mangaluru in June 2016. The group met regularly to discuss logistics, including surveillance, vehicles, and accommodation.
Since the arrest of the 18 accused, several key figures have been released on bail over the years. The first to be granted bail was N Mohan Nayak in December 2023, followed by others in mid-2024. However, two individuals remain out of the bail circle: Sharad Kalaskar, who is currently serving a sentence for his involvement in the murder of Narendra Dabholkar, and Vikas Patil, who was never apprehended.
