Lankesh case: SIT summons Sri Ram Sene leder for questioning

The SIT probing the killing of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh has summoned a functionary of fringe right-wing outfit Sri Ram Sene for questioning even as her family today expressed satisfaction over the progress in the sensational case.

A senior police official said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) decided to question Rakesh Math, the Vijayapura district president of Sri Ram Sene, since the suspected shooter of Lankesh, Parashuram Waghmare, was an active member of the Hindutva outfit, linked to moral policing in parts of Karnataka.

The official, from the SIT, told PTI that they wanted to find out whether Math was involved in Lankesh's killing and whether he "brainwashed" Waghmare, arrested earlier this week, to participate in the plot.

Math and Waghmare were allegedly involved in hoisting a Pakistani flag outside the tahsildar office in their hometown Sindagi of Vijayapura district in Karnataka in January 2012 in an alleged bid to create communal tension.

The SIT believes Math has a strong support base in coastal regions, including Mangaluru, and parts of north Karnataka.

"We have summoned Rakesh Math. He has not come yet," the official said.

Meanwhile, Sri Ram Sene founder and chief Pramod Muthalik distanced himself and his organisation from Waghmare and the killing of Lankesh and other rationalists.

Lankesh was shot dead in front of her residence here on September 5 last year by motorbike-borne assailants.

"There is no connection between Sri Ram Sene and Waghmare. He is neither our member nor our worker. This I say very clearly," Muthalik said.

The Sene chief said when the Pakistani flag hoisting issue surfaced, it was said that Waghmare was a member of Sri Ram Sene. However, he had proved that Waghmare was not a member of Sri Ram Sene but of RSS, he claimed.

"I had shared his pictures sporting RSS uniform. I had said at that time that he is an RSS worker and not of Sri Ram Sene," Muthalik told PTI.

Conceding that Math was the district head of Sene, Muthalik said he has been summoned for inquiry because all of them are from Sindagi town and were involved in the Pakistani flag hoisting incident.

"Rakesh Math is our district president. However, the organisation has its own constitution according to which it functions. If somebody does something privately in his personal capacity, it cannot be held responsible," he said.

Parashuram Waghmare's father Ashok Waghmare, who had come from Sindagi to Bengaluru to see him, maintained his son was innocent but could not say where he (Parashuram) was on September 5, the day Lankesh was shot dead.

"I think he was at home," Ashok Waghmare told a Kannada news channel.

Math said he came to Bengaluru following a notice to appear for the inquiry.

"I received a notice stating that my presence was required for the investigation (of Lankesh murder case)," he told the channel.

He also said he had been Parashuram Waghmare's friend and his arrest was shocking.

Math, who was confident that his friend would come out clean, denied his involvement in the killing and said he had only been doing organisational work.

The family of Lankesh expressed satisfaction over the progress made by the SIT, saying the probe was moving in the right direction and they will get justice.

Lankesh's sister Kavitha and her mother met former chief minister Siddaramaiah here and conveyed their gratitude of the progress made by the SIT.

A person by name Parashuram Waghmare had been arrested but lotmore investigation has to be done, she said.

"But I came here just to ask whether the investigation will reach its logical end," Kavitha told reporters after meeting Siddaramaiah, whose previous government had formed the SIT.

Kavitha said, "Let them (SIT) investigate it because we are not the (investigating) officer. We have faith that it is going in the right direction under the leadership of inspector general of police B K Singh. The 100-member in the SIT has been working very hard."