Gauri murder probe goes to SIT

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to crack the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh. 

The SIT is headed by Inspector General of Police (Intelligence) B K Singh, who will be free to form a team as big as the probe necessitates, Siddaramaiah said after an emergency meeting with Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy and top police officials. DCP (West) M N Anucheth is the investigation officer.

Gauri, 55, was shot dead from point-blank range by three bike-borne assailants on Tuesday



night. She was laid to rest Wednesday evening at the T R Mill burial ground at Chamarajpet in Bengaluru.

“The SIT has been formed exclusively for this case to intensify the investigation. I’m confident the perpetrators will be nabbed soon,” Siddaramaiah said. Insiders pointed out that the CM chose to form a SIT instead of handing over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to avoid criticism, as the latter was yet to crack the killing of scholar M M Kalburgi, shot dead in Dharwad in August 2015.