Key Witness in Gauri Lankesh Murder Case Receives Threats, Complains to Special Court

New Delhi: An important witness in the case pertaining to the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has complained to the special court about receiving threats from people who told him not to identify the accused.

The witness, a resident of Belagavi received the threats over a phone call on May 28 and submitted a written complaint on the same day, reported Deccan Herald.

“The witness received a phone call where he was threatened not to identify the accused. He filed a complaint before the court. Though he was disturbed and upset, he testified before the court on Thursday,” a source told the newspaper.

A copy of the complaint and a memo by the special public prosecutor were submitted to the court.

The witness who has been threatened was crucial in identifying the accused and the place where the alleged conspiracy was hatched to murder Lankesh.

Well-known journalist and editor Lankesh, a household name for readers in Karnataka because of her sharp writing and bold views, was shot dead at her residence in Bengaluru late on September 5, 2017.

She was editor of the weekly Lankesh Patrike –  a magazine that has been described as an “anti-establishment” publication – and had come under attack for her views against the communal politics of the Sangh parivar in Karnataka.

The chargesheet in her murder case had said that the assassination was an “organised crime” carried out by people associated with the Sanatan Sanstha, an extremist right-wing Hindutva organisation.

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