High-stakes contests in Karnataka
The southern State of Karnataka is preparing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, a momentous event. It will unfold in 28 constituencies over two phases on April 26 and May 7.
In a major breakthrough in the Gauri Lankesh murder case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday night arrested a 37-year-old man in connection with the killing of the 55-year-old journalist.
The man, identified as KT Naveen Kumar, was picked up by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) from a bus station in Bengaluru on 19 February.
According to reports, he has been taken into SIT custody for eight days for interrogation.
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“KT Naveen Kumar was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Karnataka Police for questioning,” SIT Investigating Officer MN Anucheth confirmed.
Naveen hails from from Birur, a small town in south Karnataka’s Chikkamagalur district. He is accused of taking the killer on his motorcycle to Gauri Lankesh’s house on 5 September, the day of the assassination.
He was picked up from KSRTC bus stand in Majestic area of Bengaluru with a.32-calibre gun and 15 live bullets.
Quoting a senior police officer, the New Indian Express reports that it is early to say whether he had “any links with the Gauri killers or he played any key role in Gauri murder”.
Anucheth said that Naveen has been taken into custody because the SIT is also questioning illegal arm traders.
He said that ten more live bullets were recovered from Naveen from Birur in Chikkamagaluru, 250 km west of Bengaluru, where he was residing.
Naveen is the founder of an outfit called Hindu Yuva Sene. According to police, he studied till Class 10.
Gauri Lankesh, the editor of ‘Lankesh Patrike’ and known for her firebrand journalism, was shot dead at point-blank range by two assailants as she returned home from work around 8 pm on the night of September 5, 2017.
The attack was caught on CCTV cameras installed outside her house.
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