While interrogating Ganesh Miskin – a member of Hindu extremist group Sri Rama Sena, who was arrested in July on the suspicion of being the person who rode the motorcycle with Gauri Lankesh's assassin in the pillion – the Special investigation team has reportedly learnt that his recruiter, Amol Kale – the former convenor of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) – is the killer of Kannada scholar and rationalist, M. M. Kalburgi.
As per a Kannada news report, Miskin has revealed that it was Kale who shot dead Kalburgi at the doorstep of his house three years ago. HJS is a splinter group of the Sanatan Sanstha, one of whose associates was arrested only a few days ago by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad for being in possession of explosives.
It was to carry out covert operations for Sanathan Sanstha that Kale had recruited Ganesh Miskinthree years ago, along with Parashuram Waghmare, who is a former Sri Rama Sena activist and the person suspected of being the shooter of Gauri Lankesh.
The SIT has also reportedly learnt that Kale was ordered to carry out Kalburgi's assassination by a person named 'Kaka' alias Shankar Narayan, who has died six months ago. It was Narayan’s right hand man – associated with one of Hindutva outfits in Maharashtra such as Sanathan Sanstha or HJS – who drew the plans for Gauri Lankesh’s assassination.
Waghmare, the suspected shooter of Gauri Lankesh, was trained by Kale using the network of extremists related to Sanathan Sanstha and HJS in Karnataka. Wanted for his suspected involvement in Gauri’s murder, Kale was arrested in June. If Miskin’s reported revelation is accurate, the shooter of Kalburgi is already arrested for his involvement in Gauri’s murder.
It has previously been established that the same weapon was in used in the two murders after comparing ballistic reports and the marks on the firing pins of the cartridges found in both scenes of murder. Now, the emerging evidence is suggesting that the same network of the Hindutva terror groups are involved in the two murders.
