Adieu Gauri Lankesh, Fearless Fighter and Dear Friend

Gauri Lankesh, journalist, friend, activist, fiery woman and courage personified was shot dead, in cold blood on September 5 at about 8.10 p.m. as she returned to her home in Bengaluru. There was anger, shock, and mourning. Almost immediately, even as the numbness of the grief continued to engulf her wide circle of friends and fellow travellers, protests errupted, beginning from outside her home where she was shot and then began and continued late into the night from  the Town Hall itself. Vocal, decent, civilized India spoke out against the poison that has seeped into our midst.

Protests began almost immediately outside senior journalist Gauri Lankesh's residence in Bengaluru's Rajarajeshwari Nagar after she was shot dead this evening.

The words of fellow journalist, Pheroze Vincent from the Telegraph say it all: "The moment you killed Gauri, your bhakts celebrated on twitter. The moment you faced a backlash, you and your fronts condemned it on your letter heads. The outrage doesn't stop. Now you blame the Congress, Maoists, Beastie Boys, Hafiz Saeed, you can't can this rage because your bloodlust has betrayed you. You fool none, scare none. Come and see us on the streets tomorrow."

Gauri drove home as is usual and had reached home, parked her car, stepped out of her vehicle and was walking towards the gate whent he first two bullets were fired. They hit her back. As she turned, another three got her straight in the chest and she died instantly. An elderly neighbour called her mother Indira and sister Kavitha informing them that she had fallen down. When they rushed to the spot they discovered that she had been murdered, in cold blood by assassins bullets.

#IamGauri Protests in various parts of India against the assassination of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh.

Protests on September 6:
BANGALORE - 8:45 am, Naik Bhavan
DELHI, CHENNAI - 11 am,  Press Club
MUMBAI - 6 pm, Amphitheater, Carter Road
HYDERABAD - 4 pm, Sunderayya Vignana Kendram
MANGALORE - 4 pm, Town Hall, Gandhi Statue
DHARWAD - 10 am, Prof Kalburghi's house
PUNE - 4 pm, opp SP College, Sadashiv Peth, Tilak Road

[[ If you are in Bangalore protests against Gauri Lankeshs murder started at 10 pm at Town hall and have now finished and will continue from 1030 am again tomorrow morning. Also Bangalore at 845 a.m. at Naik Bhavan. Mangalore ongoing protests near DCs office now and tomorrow 9 AM @ jyothi circle, 5 PM @ DC office. In Mandya tomorrow morning at 10 am rally from Silver Jubilee Park. 
If you are in Delhi be at Press club to protest at 11 a.m tomorrow, and a protest and condolence meeting is at 3 pm. Kerala union of journalists will also protest at noon at Jantar Mantar and another protest will happen on 7 September at Jantar mantar at 4 pm. If you are in Mumbai 6 pm Amphitheater, Carter Road, Bandra.Hyderabad Sunderayya Vignana Kendram 4 pm. Chennai, 11am, tomorrow, near Press Club. Protests in Kerala at High court junction 6pm, Manaveeyam veedhi Trivandrum, 4pm ]]

There will be more words to remember Gauri tomorrow an therefter. Until then, some images.

In Delhi, the joint protest of the Press Association, Press Club of India and Indian Womens Press Corps will be in front of the Press Club of India tomorrow at 3pm, or join Kerala Union of Working Journalists protest opposite Kerala House at 12noon. There is also a protest by concerned citizens opposite the Press Club of India at 11am and a condolence meeting in JNU's SL-SIS lawns at 1130am. Dont forget, dont forgive the murder of our colleague. Remember this image, this state of our nation. Feel disturbed, feel rage, lose sleep, feel something

Karnataka police chief R K Dutta said Lankesh was shot dead by unidentified assailants at the entrance of her residence. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned her murder and described it as an assassination of democracy. Absolutely shocked to learn about the murder of renowned journalist Gauri Lankesh," Siddaramaiah tweeted. "I have no words to condemn this heinous crime. In her passing, Karnataka has lost a strong progressive voice, and I have lost a friend," the chief minister said.
 
Lankesh was the daughter of journalist and writer P Lankesh.  In November 2016, Lankesh was convicted in two separate defamation cases for her article from January 2008 criticising leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party. She was out on bail in the case.

There will be more words to remember Gauri tomorrow an therefter. Until then, some images.

Condemning the killing of Ms. Lankesh, Narendra Nayak, president of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, said, “The elimination of voices of reason by silencing them through murder was the hallmark of those cowardly dunces who have no arguments to counter those put forward by us.” She was one of those who was not afraid to speak her mind on any issue which she felt was important, he said.  “As a fellow member on the hit list of these organisations, I feel sad that I have lost a good friend and a supporter... I knew her since three decades right from the days she was a reporter for Sunday. More than a journalist she was a social activist raising her voice for the oppressed and exploited of the society, he said. “It is a shame tor all the citizens of our country that we have tolerated such a sorry state of affairs here that even voices cannot be raised against the forces of irrationalism and communalism. Let those forces clearly understand that such acts by them are not going to silence us. They are only going to become stronger.”