The assailants came on a two-wheeler, waited patiently for a time that suited them, preferably at a place that is closer to their target's home and pumped bullets from point-blank range at their targets. On September 5, Gauri Lankesh, a firebrand liberal journalist, was shot dead by unknown assailants who came and fled on a two-wheeler.
The same had happened on August 20, 2013 when Dr Narendra Dabholkar, a rationalist, was shot dead by two assailants on a bike near his house in Pune while he went for his morning walk. This was repeated on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur when comrade Govind Pansare, as he was returning from his morning walk, was shot at by two killers waiting for him on a motorcycle. Uma Pansare, his wife, was seriously injured as well. Pansare succumbed to his injuries on February 20. In the same year, on August 30, renowned scholar M.M. Kalburgi a was shot dead early morning at his home in Dharwad by two assailants who had come on a motorcycle.
Also read: Karnataka CM orders SIT probe into journalist Lankesh's killing
As per the ballistics reports and the investigation into the first three murders, Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department, Central Bureau of Investigation and Special Investigation Team had concluded that one weapon―a pistol―was used in all the three murders. Ajit Nimbalkar, then Director Inspector General, CID, Karnataka had submitted his report to the court. Samir Gaikwad and Dr Virendra Tawde, both of Sanatan Sanstha, were arrested and charged in the murder of Govind Pansare.
T.B. Jayachandra, Karnataka's law minister, agreed that there are similarities in the murder of M.M. Kalburgi. The two-year-old murder is yet to be solved and the suspects are still on the run. “The links between the two murders cannot be ruled out,” said Jayachandra.
Meanwhile, police have managed to recover video footage from the password-protected CCTV installed outside Gauri's house. Indrajit Lankesh, Gauri's brother told PTI, “The camera has recorded the entire crime incident and the culprits should get caught very soon.”
