The murder of Gauri Lankesh must be condemned! The right to conscience must be defended!

Gauri LankeshGauri Lankesh, well known journalist and social activist, editor of the Kannada publication Gauri Lankesh Patrike, was brutally shot dead at her residence on the evening of September 5, 2017. Gauri Lankesh was respected among those fighting for the rights of the exploited and oppressed, for her bold investigative writings exposing the crimes of those in power and her passionate appeal for justice for the victims of state terror.

Gauri Lankesh, well known journalist and social activist, editor of the Kannada publication Gauri Lankesh Patrike, was brutally shot dead at her residence on the evening of September 5, 2017.

Gauri Lankesh was respected among those fighting for the rights of the exploited and oppressed, for her bold investigative writings exposing the crimes of those in power and her passionate appeal for justice for the victims of state terror. Her murder follows the similar brutal murders of social activists M.M.Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar, who were also respected for their stands against obscurantist views and their opposition to the attempts of the rulers to spread hatred among people.

G Lankesh protest on 11 Sept
G lankesh Bangaluru first protests

Demonstration on 11th and 6th September 2017 in Bengaluru to protest the murder of Gauri Lankesh

There has been no serious investigation of these earlier cases and the guilty have not been brought to book. This raises a legitimate question as to the role of the State and its agencies in such murders.

The right to conscience, the right to express and uphold one’s views is an inalienable human right. It is the duty of the State to ensure that this right is not violated under any pretext.

Protest actions have been organized in Bangalore, Mangalore, Udupi, Mandya, Gulbarga, Dharwad, Hubbali and many other towns of Karnataka, in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and many other parts of the country. Political activists, human rights activists, writers, poets, students, youth and women across all sections of society have come forward in large numbers to condemn the murder of Gauri Lankesh and the increasing fascist attacks on the democratic rights of our people. Through these protest actions people are reaffirming their commitment to carry forward the struggle in defence of our rights, against all forms of intimidation and terror unleashed by the state.

Share and Enjoy !

Shares

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *