Gauri event sponsored by state govt, says Indrajit

Slain journalist Gauri Lankesh's brother Indrajit Lankesh on Monday said he would move the high court seeking that the investigation into her murder be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as no progress has been made even after five months.

He was speaking at a memorial service he organised for Gauri near her burial site in Chamarajpet.

"This is my personal opinion. I do not know what Kavitha Lankesh's (another sister) stance on this matter is. We all want to know the reason for her killing and the people behind it to get punishment," he said. Indrajit said that when a sketch of the suspect was released, they were hoping that the case was moving forward. "I kept quiet all this while because my mother insisted. Not anymore," he said.

He alleged that the Siddaramaih government was not giving the Special Investigation Team (SIT) freedom to investigate.

Indrajit also alleged that the government had organised the protests against Gauri's killing, held immediately after the incident and even the event on Monday was sponsored by them. He alleged that Dinesh Amin Mattu, the chief minister's media advisor was at the helm of it.

Indrajit alleged that the flight tickets for Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani and Kanhaiya Kumar were also sponsored by the government.