On September 5th, journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh was assassinated in her home in Bangalore. Once more, a voice of dissent, a voice of reason, has been silenced with guns.
This is a chilling continuation of the series of murders of rationalists, writers, scholars and activists, from Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare to MM Kalburgi. None of the murderers has been punished.
Across the country, journalists, writers, activists, students and citizens of conscience have condemned this new instance of a political assassination. Protests are taking place across the country.
Gauri Lankesh was a fierce journalist and the most vocal critic of communal forces in Karnataka and in India. She was committed till her last breath in her struggle against communalism and supported progressive forces in maintaining communal harmony in Karnataka.
Gauri Lankesh stood for a certain idea. She was murdered, but her ideas are bulletproof.