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Hindutva’s Henchmen: Revelations Made by the SIT Probe into Gauri Lankesh Murder

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Not many of us in Karnataka have spoken about it.  We  do  not  know  how  much  and  in  what  detail  the  news  from  here  appears  in  the  media  in  the  other  states. August 30 will be the third anniversary of Prof.  M. M.  Kalburgi’s assassination and soon after, September 5 will mark the first anniversary of Gauri Lankesh’s cold-blooded murder.  Just  when  we  had  thought  that  the  truth  about  the  two  killings  would  slip  through  the  memory  hole  (as  in  Orwell’s  1984), the  Special  Investigation  Team  (SIT)  made  several  arrests  in  the  Gauri  Lankesh murder case.  One  of  them,  a Parashuram Waghmare  from  Vijayapura  is  said  to  have  confessed  that  he  shot  Gauri dead. Moving  from  one  link  to  another, the  SIT  has  been  unearthing  the  case  very  professionally.  What  is  unfolding  everyday  and  reported  in  detail  by  the  newspapers  is  a  chilling  narrative.  It  is  a  narrative  which  could easily be dismissed  as  a  brilliant  crime  fiction  by  Dan Brown,  if not for the solid  evidences that are coming up every day.  Right in the  midst of a democratic  republic, you have a right-wing organisation which is meticulously preparing and executing a diabolic plan of  eliminating writers  and  activists  who  are  radical  critics of  hindutva. 

What  will  probably  never  be  revealed  is  the cold-blooded  decision  made  by  the  elite  right-wing ideologues  to  create  a  perfect  killing  mechanism  which is perhaps operational  in  all  states  in  India.  It is a systematic process and the first step is to recruit the killers and accomplices.  For this, the active  and  dedicated  looking  young  men  who attend the  hindutva  programmes  are  tracked  and  approached.  In Gauri’s case it was a person from Maharashtra.  Very  few  among  the  thousands  who  attend  the  Hindutva jagruthi (raising  awareness)  programmes  know  about  the  recruitment  process.  The  selected  young  men  are  then taken  to  more  such  programmes  and  discussions. 

The second stage is brain washing.  Waghmare was  shown  videos  of  Gauri’s  speeches, to which  he  reportedly  said  “My  blood  boiled”.  He was then gradually motivated to punish her.  When  the  possible  recruits  are  thus  “persuaded”,  the  next  stage  begins.  These recruits are then trained to use revolvers in many of the hidden forest areas by former police personnel and professionals. The motive is to eventually turn them into sharp shooters.  Where do the weapons come from?  In  Gauri’s  case  the  SIT  discovered  that  it  was  a person  in  Karnataka  who had  built  a  veritable  fortress  with  three  rungs  of  security  gates.  He  was  a  respectable  citizen  but as it  turned  out, he  was  also  a  dealer  in  arms.  Newspaper  reports  say  that  the people of his village often noticed men  speaking  different  Indian  languages going  to  his  place. 

This  last,  most  innocuous  detail,  as  in  the  darkest of  crime  stories,  is  the  most  chilling. (Brush up your Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock).  This  is  exactly  what  the  ordinary  citizens  around  a  notorious  Hindutva  organisation  in  Goa  said.  Strangers and  outsiders,  speaking  non-local  languages, visiting  places that even the locals have  no  access  to.  What  is  chilling  is  the  truly  ‘national’  character  of  the  criminal  network.  The  obvious  inference  is  that  these  groups  are  everywhere  in  India.  Young  men  (usually  Shudras and  some  Dalit)  are  being  recruited  every day   and  trained  in  the  nodal  murder  centres. 

The  SIT  also  discovered  that  lists  of writers, intellectuals and other radical critics of Hindutva were  exchanged  by  participants  of  the  crime.  So,  you  have  a  veritable  who’s who  of  dangerous  intellectuals  with  the  killers.  The next stage is the planning and rehearsals. Here also, it is the respectable  common  citizens who rent  out  rooms  and  houses  and  feed  the  assassins. A practicing doctor sheltered Gauri’s killers in his clinic.  I  will  not  get into details  like  how  the  bike  carrying  the  killers  was  procured  because  I  do  not want to ruin the great career of a future  of  crime fiction writer.

Where does that leave us?  The  furious  debates  about  secularism,  freedom  of  expression, candle light processions, and TV discussions are for the consumption of  imbeciles and morons like  me and you.  It is the right-wing governmentality and  crony  capitalism  in  India  which  traps  you  into  ‘democratic’  televised  discussions which is exactly  the  distraction  right-wing  wants.  Why?  So  that  a  vast  and  stupendous  network  of  murder  can continue to  operate  all  across  India.  The  most  cold-blooded  decision  has  already  been  made  to  implement  the  final  solution.  Kill them.  A  vast  machine  works  efficiently  from  recruitment  to  the  clueless   disappearance  of  the  killers  all  across  India.  As  you  walk  across  the  nearby  lane,  the  invisible  operators  are  tracking  you.  On a quiet Sunday morning or  a  calm  evening, a bike  is waiting.  On it are two people who hardly know each other.  One of them will shoot you down point blank.  The other will speed away. That is if you are on the list. Dial H for murder.

From August 30 to September 5, an unusual week is going to be observed in Karnataka. From one anniversary of a killing to another. We want to rupture the deafening silence on the most shocking exposé of post-independence India. The  SIT  in  Karnataka  has  unearthed  the  greatest  crime  against  Indian  democracy  and  our  constitution. I nearly  died  laughing  when  someone  suggested  that  the  most  powerful  male  in  India  does not  probably  know  about  what  the  fringe  elements  are  doing.  For  the  first  time I understood what I had been explaining  to  my  students  while  teaching  Derrida.  It is the margin which defines the centre. The margin therefore is the centre.
 
P.S.:  Dear reader, the facts and details in this write up are not from a dystopian fiction.  Every detail is from  reports on  the  disclosures  by  the  SIT  investigating  Gauri  Lankesh’s  murder.   


Courtesy: Indian Cultural Forum

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