Gauri Lankesh was a journalist- turned-activist. She was born on 29th January 1962 in Bangalore, Karnataka. She had worked as an editor of a Kannada weekly tabloid named Lankesh Patrike started by her father P. Lankesh. She later ran her own weekly called Gauri Lankesh patrike.
Gauri lankesh was best known for her speaking against right-wing Hindu extremism. She always stood against discrimination based on religion and caste. For standing against Hindu extremism, campaigning for women’s rights, and opposing discrimination, she was honored with the Anna Politkovskaya Award.
She was a hater of Sangh Parivar which includes the Political party Bharatiya Janata Party, the student union Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the religious organizations Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and all the Hindu organizations that are affiliated with RSS.
Controversy
She hated the fact that Hindu is a religion. She stated that Hinduism was not a religion but a “system of hierarchy in society” and also said that women in Hinduism are treated like second-class creatures. She opposed each and every fact related to religion and considered herself as secular. She always had famed secularism and worked for the rise of it. Her idea of being secular was to leave communalism. Not only Sangh Parivar but also targeted the Indian national congress and its politicians. She had written about the wrongdoing of the congress leader, D.K Shivkumar.
Who was Gauri?
Gauri was known for advocating freedom of the press. She presented what she wanted to and never stopped herself from opposing anything. This became the reason for her death. On 5th September 2017, she was assassinated by three unknown men near her house. She was shot by them as she was unlocking the main door to enter her house. She was shot in her head, neck, and chest as a result she died at the scene.
The BBC described it as the most highly profiled journalist murdered in recent people. There were demonstrations against her passing all over India, including one in Bangalore a week after the funeral that attracted more than 25,000 people.
She was given a state funeral with a gun salute. Her family didn’t follow any religious custom as she was considered a rationalist. Her murder became the issue of the world as New York Times published about her many nation. On her third death anniversary, several journalists and activists participated in the #IfWeDoNotRise campaign in her memory and in wake of arrests of dissidents across the nation.
In 2021, Burnaby and Canadian cities decided to celebrate her day in September to commemorate her death anniversary.
In June 2018, the Special investigating team stated that a culprit had been arrested by them and he confessed his crime and said that he did it for the sake of his religion. Gauri Lankesh was dangerous for his religion and this is why he was asked to murder her.
Linked with Bharat Jodo Yatra
Now, after 5 years of her murder, her mother still trying to fill the void in her life, joined the Bharat Jodo yatra of congress and walked hand in hand with Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi for Gauri Lankesh stated that the Bharat Jodo Yatra is the voice of people like Lankesh and that can never be silenced. Gauri stood for truth, courage, and freedom. He stands for people like Gauri Lankesh.
Gauri Lankesh made people debate secularism and even after her death she is still a reason to debate this topic. In tweets and speeches, she always took a stand for this. She popularised the word ” Secular ” with her publications and she made others think about it at least once in their lives. If she had an opinion to give or a side to take, she said it out loud and clear. She never hesitated and stood for what she believed in.
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