Outspoken journalist’s murder sparks outcry in India

BANGALORE: Indian activists, politicians and journalists demanded a full investigation yesterday into the murder of Gauri Lankesh, a newspaper editor and outspoken critic of the ruling Hindu nationalist party whose death has sparked an outpouring of anger, reports AFP.

The 55-year-old, who was shot dead by three unknown gunmen on a motorcycle as she entered her home in the southern city of Bangalore in Karnataka state late Tuesday, was a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing government.

The Editors Guild of India said her death was “an ominous portent for dissent in democracy and a brutal assault on the freedom of the press”, calling for a swift and thorough investigation.

India has a historically poor record on journalists’ safety, although most deaths occur in remote rural areas away from the major urban centres.

But critics of Modi’s government say dissent is being stifled as nationalist sentiment grows in the world’s largest democracy.

Outspoken journalists murder sparks outcry in India

BANGALORE: Indian activists, politicians and journalists demanded a full investigation yesterday into the murder of Gauri Lankesh, a newspaper editor and outspoken critic of the ruling Hindu nationalist party whose death has sparked an outpouring of anger, reports AFP. The 55-year-old, who was shot dead by three unknown gunmen on a motorcycle as she entered her home in the southern city of Bangalore in Karnataka state late Tuesday, was a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modis right-wing government. The Editors Guild of India said her death was an ominous portent for dissent in democracy and a brutal assault on the freedom of the press, calling for a swift and thorough investigation. India has a historically poor record on journalists safety, although most deaths occur in remote rural areas away from the major urban centres. But critics of Modis government say dissent is being stifled as nationalist sentiment grows in the worlds largest democracy.