One question baffling CBI in Gauri Lankesh murder

Did ENT surgeon, Dr Virendra Tawde, order a hit on journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh in Bengalaru, from jail?

This is one of the questions that has baffled the CBI and Maharashtra-ATS, which over the past three weeks arrested nine people, all of them Right-wing workers.

In fact, Dr Tawde, who practically quit the medical profession in 2011 and associated with activities of Right-wing groups, was arrested by CBI in June 2016.

Dr Tawde was arrested after the murder of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar and then Communist leader Govind Pansare.

In the Dabholkar murder case, he was chargesheeted, while two suspected absconding shooters were named as Sarang Akolkar and Vinay Pawar, based on the description and statements of eyewitnesses.

"We now have two persons - Sharad Kalaskar (in custody of Maharashtra-ATS) and Sachin Andhure (in custody of CBI). We have to understand that investigations have not closed with the arrest of Dr Tawde... it is still on," informed sources said.

They said that while Dr Dhabolkar was murdered on August 20, 2012, Pansare and Prof M M Kalburgi were attacked on February 16, 2015 and August 30, 2015, respectively.

Same pistol used?

"Dr Tawde was arrested on June 11, 2016, and Gauri Lankesh was murdered on September 5, 2017," the sources said, adding that from the latest investigation it appears that the same pistol was used in the murder of Dr Dabholkar and Gauri Lankesh.

"Once the CBI gets the custody of Amol Kale from the Karnataka-SIT, things would be more clear," the sources said, adding that since Dr Tawde is the main accused in the murder of Dr Dabholkar, this is leading to suspicion whether he ordered the hit (on Gauri) from jail or if there is a "pre-decided list of targets."