Gauri Lankesh murder: SIT files additional charge sheet against 18 accused, names right-wing group

In yet another major development in senior journalist Gauri Lankesh murder case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday filed a 9,235-page additional charge sheet against 18 accused in the same. Lankesh was shot dead by unknown miscreants outside her residence in Bengaluru on September 5, last year. She was the editor of the Gauri Lankesh Patrike, a tabloid known for 'anti-establishment' views.

"Today SIT submitted additional charge sheet against 18 accused persons to Special Court for KCOCA (Karnataka Control of Crimes Act). It is 9235 pages. We've also sought permission to probe further. More details will be given later: Special Investigation Team on Gauri Lankesh case," the news agency ANI reported.

Today SIT submitted additional chargesheet against 18 accused persons to Special Court for KCOCA (Karnataka Control of Crimes Act). It is 9235 pages. We've also sought permission to probe further. More details will be given later: Special Investigation Team on Gauri Lankesh case

— ANI (@ANI) November 23, 2018

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While filling the charge sheet in a special court for KCOCA, the SIT has also mentioned about the involvement of Sanathan Sanstha, a controversial right wing organisation, in Lankesh's murder. The last date for filling the charge sheet was November 27.

The SIT has in August 2018 invoked the KCOCA in the case as it believed that Lankesh's murder was a part of larger conspiracy followed by the killing of rationalist and author Narendra Dabholkar on 20 August, 2013 in Pune.

The attack on Dabholkar follows the assassination of two more rationalist thinkers — senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Govind Pansare on 16 February 2015 in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, and MM Kalburgi on 30 August 2015 in Dharwad, Karnataka.

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During the course of investigation into the Gauri Lankesh murder case, SIT also found that several other rationalist thinkers were in the ‘hit-list’ of such right wing organisations.