Shocking connection: Same gun was used to kill Gauri Lankesh and rationalist Kalburgi
In a startling revelation, a report indicates that the bullets recovered from slain journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder suggest that the gun used to kill her was the same one used to shoot rationalist MM Kalburgi.
The Indian Express quoting the police report stated: “The bullets in article no 6, 18 and 19 (the Lankesh case) and the bullets in article no 2 and 3 concerned in Vidyagiri P S Cr No 142/15 vide FAS/150/15 (the Kalburgi case) have been fired through a single country made pistol chambered for 7.65 mm caliber pistol cartridges.”
The report was provided by Kiran Kumar M, assistant director of the firearms section of the State Forensic Science Laboratory to MN Anucheth, the chief investigation officer of the SIT constituted for the Lankesh case. The report also claims that the comparison of the ‘class characteristic marks’ and the ‘individual characteristic marks’ of the firing pin on cartridge cases in the two cases were tallying. The report states that they were fired from the same 7.65mm.
Lankesh was killed after four bullets were fired at her by an unidentified man wearing a helmet on September 5, 2017. So far five people affiliated to Hindtuva groups – Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti – were suspected to have carried out the murder. Kalburgi was shot dead at his residence in Dharwad, Karnataka by an unidentified gunman. Earlier, Sanatan Sanstha, the organisation accused in the murder of Gauri Lankesh, accused former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of targeting them and Janajagruti Samiti in the same case.
"In regard to the news of the arrest of Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti workers in the Gauri Lakesh murder case, I want to tell people that investigating authorities are yet again trying to move the investigation in another direction," Chetan Rajhans, national spokesperson of Sanatan Sanstha told ANI. "There was no investigation against Siddaramaiah, as it was his government then. They made organisations like Sanatan Sanstha as targets. The police either under the pressure from the government or due to any other reason arrested K.T. Yadav and tried linking him with the organisation,” he added.
Rajhans further said, those who were arrested held a press conference stating that the police forced them to confess, and Naveen Kumar (the main accused) was not involved in the case. Rajhans also demanded a fair investigation. The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti earlier claimed that Amol Kale, arrested for his alleged involvement in the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, left the organisation in 2008 because of "personal reasons". Kale (40) along with Manohar Edve (30), Sujith Kumar alias Praveen (37) and Amit Degwekar alias Pradeep, were arrested by Karnataka Police's Special Investigation Team.
"As far as Kale is concerned, he was associated with HJS in Pune till 2008 but had said he would not be able to continue with the organisation due to personal reasons," Ramesh Shinde, HJS national spokesperson, told PTI. "So for the last 10 years, he had stopped taking part in organisational activities. He is not in touch with the organisation," Shinde added. Ganesh Shinde, deputy commissioner of police, Zone-III, Pune, said: "(Kale) was first arrested in an attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy and Arms Act case on May 21 by Bengaluru police."
"On May 23, Karnataka Police conducted a search at his residence in Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune. On May 31, he was arrested in the Lankesh murder case," the DCP said. According to police sources, Kale lives with his wife, son and mother in an apartment in Pimpri-Chinchwad and he reportedly has no police record in Pune.
from Daily News & Analysis https://ift.tt/2Jqq2Ic
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