Hindutva chauvinist who allegedly sold bike to Gauri Lankesh’s killers arrested

coastaldigest.com news network
August 31, 2018

Bengaluru, Aug 31: The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh, has detained a man from Ganeshpura in Belagavi on the charge of selling the bike used in the crime.

Sagar Lakhe, who owns a nursery in Ganeshpura, was arrested on Wednesday based on information provided by Bharat Kurne, a hotelier, who was arrested on August 8 in the Gauri murder case, police sources said.

“We found there were many telephonic conversations between Sagar and Bharat. The duo belonged to a Kolhapur-based Hindutva fringe group Shiv Prathishtan and was in Bengaluru on the previous day and on the day of the killing,” an officer said.

The bike was allegedly financed by Sanatan Sanstha, now under close watch of the SIT, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) teams. Confirming a well-planned murder, whose mastermind Amol Kale — also known as Bhaisab — had raised two teams to target Gauri, one with Sudhanva Gondalkar and Sharad Khalaskar, and the other with Ganesh Miskin and Parashuram Waghmore.

Amol Kale’s diary and interrogation clearly showed the original date planned for Gauri’s killing was September 4.However, when the first team visited her house, Gauri was apparently inside the house already and hence they could not finish the ‘task’.

Later, Kale who was not confident of the first team decided to send the second team. The SIT also recovered a CCTV footage near Sunrise Residency Apartments which shows Sudhanva Gondalkar and anotherhelmet-borne man, whom the team believes to be Sharad Khalaskar.

The same men arrived at Gauri’s house twice once on September 4 to kill her and on September 5 around 3.45 pm to see if she was home or not. “The duo was on a different bike near a park next to Gauri’s house,” said the officer.

The SIT petitioned the court to gain custody of Gondalkar and Khalaskar to interrogate them. The two were among five arrested by Maharashtra’s ATS earlier in August in Nalasopara.The ATS had uncovered a huge cache of arms, including IEDs,pistols and equipment to build crude bombs.

The SIT believes the pistol used to kill Gauri may be one of the 18 seized by the ATS. Sleuths suspect the one with Sachin Andure, recovered from his cousin Rohit Reghe in Aurangabad, could be the one used in the crime.

“We have the CCTV footage which clearly showed a Pulsar bike that was used in the crime. The footage shows the same bike present on two days near Gauri’s house — once on September 4 in the afternoon when Gauri was already inside the house, and on September 5 when she was killed,” an officer confirmed.

Comments

accept the truth..no need to spread lie...you are the people who spread curruption, crime and fitna throughout india..remember you have to die one day and all your karma is answerable..

Dharma
 - 
Friday, 31 Aug 2018

Rubbish.. Media spreading lies. Unnecessary issues making by giveing irrelevant matters. Media trying to make link with our group sanatan sanstha

Naresh
 - 
Friday, 31 Aug 2018

If the bike seller doesnt know the purpose and the criminals then how these people arrested him. There is a chance

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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coastaldigest.com news network
November 29,2025

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Mangaluru, Nov 29: Around 12,500 healthcare students from Medical, Dental, AYUSH, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Allied Health Sciences colleges of Dakshina Kannada, affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), took part in a massive walkathon to promote awareness on Organ Donation and Nasha Mukth Bharat.

The inaugural ceremony was held at Mangala Stadium. Dr Bhagavan B C, Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of RGUHS, delivered the welcome address. The walkathon was flagged off by Shri U T Khader, Hon’ble Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, and presided over by Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao, Hon’ble Minister for Health, Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada District In-charge. Dakshina Kannada MP Shri Brijesh Chowta also addressed the students.

Music director Guru Kiran, MLA Dr Bharat Shetty (Mangalore North), Police Commissioner Shri Sudheer Kumar Reddy, Shri Manjunath Bhandary and Shri Harish Kumar were among those present.

Institution heads including Dr Haji U K Monu (Kanachur Colleges), Dr Shantharam Shetty (Tejaswini College), Dr Bhaskar Shetty (City Group of Colleges), Mr Abdul Rahiman (Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences), and the District Health Officer, Mangalore, also participated.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof U T Ifthikar Fareed, Syndicate Member, RGUHS.

The event was organised by Dr U T Ifthikar Ali and Dr Shiva Sharan (Syndicate Members), Prof Vaishali (Senate Member), Prof Mohammad Suhail (Chairman, BOS Physiotherapy), Dr Sharan Shetty (Former Senate Member), along with principals and faculty of various colleges.

Students marched from Mangala Stadium to Karavali Grounds via MCC and Lalbagh signal. The event set a record as one of the largest gatherings of healthcare students for a social cause in the RGUHS Dakshina Kannada Zone.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Mangaluru: Chaos erupted at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) after IndiGo flight 6E 5150, bound for Mumbai, was repeatedly delayed and ultimately cancelled, leaving around 100 passengers stranded overnight. The incident highlights the ongoing country-wide operational disruptions affecting the airline, largely due to the implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms for crew.

The flight was initially scheduled for 9:25 PM on Tuesday but was first postponed to 11:40 PM, then midnight, before being cancelled around 3:00 AM. Passengers expressed frustration over last-minute communication and the lack of clarity, with elderly and ailing travellers particularly affected. “Though the airline arranged food, there was no proper communication, leaving us confused,” said one family member.

An IndiGo executive at MIA cited the FDTL rules, designed to prevent pilot fatigue by limiting crew working hours, as the cause of the cancellation. While alternative arrangements, including hotel stays, were offered, about 100 passengers chose to remain at the airport, creating tension. A replacement flight was arranged but also faced delays due to the same constraints, finally departing for Mumbai around 1:45 PM on Wednesday. Passengers either flew, requested refunds, or postponed their travel.

The Mangaluru delay is part of a broader crisis for IndiGo. The airline has been forced to make “calibrated schedule adjustments”—a euphemism for widespread cancellations and delays—after stricter FDTL norms came into effect on November 1.

While an IndiGo spokesperson acknowledged unavoidable flight disruptions due to technology issues, operational requirements, and the updated crew rostering rules, the DGCA has intervened, summoning senior airline officials to explain the chaos and outline corrective measures.

The ripple effect has been felt across the country, with major hubs like Bengaluru and Mumbai reporting numerous cancellations. The Mangaluru incident underscores the systemic operational strain currently confronting India’s largest carrier, leaving passengers nationwide grappling with uncertainty and delays.

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