Hours before thousands of Gauri supporters were to gather in Bengaluru to voice their anger against the attacks on the voices of dissent in the country, Karnataka BJP announced that all statements made at ‘I Am Gauri’ rally will be monitored.
The announcement came hours after BJP Yuva Morcha sent a legal notice to historian and writer Ramachandra Guha. The legal notice was sent after Guha alleged that the Sangh Parivar was likely behind the killing of Gauri Lankesh, in an interview.
The ‘I Am Gauri’ convention held at Central College Grounds saw journalists, writers, activists, film-makers, among others, raising their voice on the attacks against rationalists.
Despite BJP’s announcement, speakers at the function spoke out against the environment of fear created in the country. Kannada writer and activist K Leela lashed out, stating that “If you contest ideas only with legal notices and criminal cases, you should print 1.2 billion legal papers. You can aim your bullets at our foreheads, but you cannot kill our ideas. We will fight for a fearless India,” she said.
P Sainath, a senior journalist, said that the killings are not over, and that there would be more. “There has rarely been a period of such constructed, deliberated terror. We are up against the largest machinery of hate. There will be incredible provocation in coming days, but you should not fall for those traps of hatred,” he said.
Medha Patkar of Narmada Bachao Andolan announced that the threatening defamation cases would not stop their attack those trying to create an atmosphere of fear, and vowed that their non-violent campaigns would continue.
We are not here for condolence meet, but for a show strength and unity. Gauri was a unique journalist who made her pen a weapon, and it frightened many. We need sharper weapons of non-violence to fight the system.Medha Patkar
As the protests continue, the strength of the Special Investigation Team formed to probe the murder of Gauri Lankesh has been expanded from 20 to 60.
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