SIT: Gauri Lankesh hitman also killed MM Kalburgi

Bengaluru: Ganesh Miskin, the hitman allegedly involved in the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh, had also shot dead litterateur and researcher Dr M.M. Kalburgi on August 30, 2015, stated the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which filed a chargesheet in the case before the district court of Hubballi-Dharwad on Saturday.

The SIT also named five others as accused in the case, Amol Kale aka Bhaisab (37) of Chinchwad in Pune, Praveen Prakash Chatur aka Masalevala (26) of Shahpura in Belagavi, Vasudev Bhagavan Suryavamshi aka Mechanic (29) of Sakali village in Jalgaon, Sharad Kalaskar aka Chhote (25) of Keshapuri village in Aurangabad and Amith Ramachandra Baddi (27) of Rani Chennamma Circle in Hubballi. Miskin aka Xerox (27) was a resident of Chaitanya Nagar in Hubballi.

All the six accused were members of an anonymous organisation and were inspired by ‘Kshatra Dharma Sadhana’, a book published by Sanatan Sanstha.

The radical right-wing organisation identified and recruited people with a history of aggression and violence or those with criminal backgrounds.

Leading up to Dr Kalburgi’s assassination, the accused trained in firearms in different parts of Karnataka and Maharasthra, and were in constant touch with each other, hatching plots to murder those against the Hindutva ideology.

They assumed different nicknames and used mobile phones not registered in their names for their activities, the SIT stated.

Dr Kalburgi became their ‘Durjan’ (enemy) after he attended a discussion on “Karnataka Prevention of Superstitious Practice Bill 2013” at Vigyan Bhavan in Bengaluru. They plotted his murder meticulously and executed him at his home in Kalyan Nagar in Dharwad on August 30, 2015.

“They knocked on the door of the victim’s house, as soon as it opened, Miskin barged in and shot the litterateur twice in the head, killing him on the spot, the SIT chargesheet stated.