Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Friday announced Rs 10 lakh reward to anyone who provides clues about the killing of senior journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh.
The announcement was made by Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, a day after the city police asked public to share any information that they may have in connection with the case through a specific phone number and e-mail id.
“Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) has given instructions to intensify the investigation and nab the culprits as soon as possible. We have given enough officials to the SIT, if they need additional officers we are ready to give,” Reddy said.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Siddaramaiah, he said, “We will give Rs 10 lakh reward to anybody who gives clues about the culprits.” Siddaramaiah today held a meeting with the SIT on the investigation that is in progress in connection with the case.
Reddy, along with SIT chief B K Singh, Director General of Police R K Dutta and Intelligence DG A M Prasad were present at the meeting. The state government had on Wednesday announced the formation of a 21-member SIT team headed by IGP (Intelligence) B K Singh to probe the killing that has led to a wave of country-wide protests and condemnation across the political spectrum.
Meanwhile, the killing of activist- journalist Gauri Lankesh was a “tragic murder”, the US has said, days after the slain scribe who was regarded as a symbol of free speech and dissent was shot dead outside her home.
“There are cases, obviously, of religious — as we detail in both the Human Rights Report and the International Religious Freedom Report — of infringements, and there was a tragic murder of a journalist just this week who was often the subject of nationalist criticism,” she said, in a reference to the killing of Lankesh.
She said these are the challenges for any democracy, but India is a democracy, and it is a “vibrant democracy”.
“And we have respect for Indian institutions and ability to raise and meet these challenges. And we certainly, in all of our engagements, at senior levels, encourage the Indian government to do so,” Wells said. (PTI)
