No faith in central agencies: Families of Gauri, Pansare oppose CBI probe

Bengaluru, Dec 27: In a development that highlights lack of people’s faith in central agencies that operate under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government, the families of slain activists Gauri Lankesh and Govind Pansare have opposed the move to hand over probe into their assassinations to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The development comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court recently suggesting that a single agency, CBI, should probe all the four murders — of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh — while hearing a petition filed by Kalburgi’s family members seeking a speedy probe. The case is posted for January first week after the CBI sought time to respond. All the four activists were allegedly assassinated by Hindutva terror groups.

Gauri’s sister to implead in SC case

Kavitha Lankesh, sister of the slain journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, is all set to implead herself before the Supreme Court opposing any move to transfer the murder probe to the CBI.

“It is the SIT, Karnataka, which has unravelled the conspiracy behind all the four murders. We want the SIT to continue with the probe and not the CBI,” she

Megha Pansare, daughter-in-law of slain communist leader Govind Pansare, whose murder is presently being probed by the SIT, Maharashtra, said the family was happy with the progress in the probe and was opposed to it being handed over to the CBI. “We are consulting our advocate on the next course of action. But we will oppose any such move,” she said.

Meanwhile, Kalburgi’s son Sreevijaya said his family did not have a stand on the investigative agency. “It has been over three years since my father was brutally killed and the probe has been very slow. Our only demand is justice. We have approached the Supreme Court as a last resort, but have not sought a CBI probe. But if the Supreme Court and the State government in their wisdom hand over the probe to the CBI, we will stand by them,” he said.

The four cases are being probed by four different agencies and the Karnataka SIT’s probe into the murder of Gauri Lankesh unravelled the larger conspiracy and the criminal syndicate behind all the four murders, leading to a slew of arrests in connection with the previous three murders as well. It is now alleged that a single criminal syndicate, influenced by the teachings of Sanatan Sanstha, carried out all the four murders, prompting the apex court to suggest a common probe.

The CBI’s probe into the murder of Narendra Dabholkar, the only case of the four the agency is handling, has come under criticism, for several flip-flops it has made in the case. “We are also concerned about political interference, given how Malegaon bomb blast and Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter cases have ended up. Given the recent CBI fiasco, the agency does not instil confidence,” said a family member of one of the victims, who did not wish to be named.