Sept. 6 (UPI) — Hundreds of people came to pay tribute to journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh on Wednesday in Bengaluru, India.
Police said Lankesh was shot and killed by unidentified assailants near the entrance of her home in Raj Rajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru on Tuesday. She was an opponent of Hindu extremism and an advocate for secularism.
Although the motive is not yet known, many speculate she was targeted over her views on religion and secularism. Shortly after her death, protests broke out against right-wing groups and the government for claims of neglect over a similar killing of another secular activist in 2015.
The left-wing protest group said, “This killing, fits into a by now familiar pattern of eliminating voices that dare to speak out against the current climate of hate and intolerance.”
The left-wing party is demanding a thorough investigation into the killing, believing in a connection between similar slayings. They claim the right-wing parties have created a climate of intolerance that eliminates the voices of the opposition.
Writer Chandrashekhar Patil said Lankesh “was killed because of her ideas, of this, there is no doubt.”
Actors, writers, political leaders, and fellow activists gathered to pay their respects on Wednesday.
A close friend of Lankesh, Chandan Gowda, said of her murdered friend, “She was an idealist and never compromised on her ideals.”
