Bengaluru: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state government to trace the accused who have killed journalist, activist Gauri Lankesh are subjecting each and everyone who had a difference of opinion with her to questioning. The latest addition to this list is none other than Vikram Sampath, the celebrated writer who had a difference of opinion with Gauri Lankesh in 2015. The SIT officers recorded Vikram Sampath’s statement on September 15.
It can be recalled on May 30, 2015 Vikram Sampath was forced to quit Bengaluru Literature Festival when Kannada writers refused to participate in the event over his remarks on writers returning their awards. Two young Kannada writers Dayananda TK and Arif Raja had warned of boycotting the festival protesting Vikram Sampath’s statement. Vikram Sampath had asked writers to reconsider their decision on award wapsi.
On September 15, Vikram Sampath narrated the whole incident of how the SIT asked him to record his statement because Gauri had reported several articles against him in 2015.
According to Vikram Sampath, he had received a call from SIT who wanted him to record his statement!
“Why “ME” I asked, especially given the fact that I had never met her even once or interacted with her and was among the first people to tweet from London in condemnation of her dastardly murder. The reason I was told left me confounded – that I had once upon a time (way back in 2015!) opposed the Award Wapasi campaign, which then spiraled into the controversy around the Bangalore Literature Festival, eventually culminating in my resignation from the festival in order to save it. At that time, in December 2015, Gauri Lankesh had apparently written very critical article(s) about me in her Kannada tabloid and some English newspaper(s) — none of which I had either read, or even responded to as it did not seem important to me to react to every opinion in that charged atmosphere, with a counter. Though I felt it was not a constructive approach that the SIT was taking, as a law-abiding citizen of the country who would very much want the cowardly murderers to be brought to book and for Gauri to get justice, I told them that I would fully co-operate in whatever manner,” his FB status read.
Vikram Sampath has described that the whole episode raised several questions on the way in which the SIT is proceeding in its investigation. “Is this how SITs proceed? Are there angles that are sought to be planted and then probed? It would have made some sense if i had written a critical piece about her, but neither did i respond nor react to her article (s) and if anything it was she who defamed me publicly and i was the supposed “wronged-party”! Will the SIT now also be questioning everyone whom Gauri has been critical of – because as a fearless journalist she has been critical of several individuals, including the high and mighty? But, I and my aged parents needed to go through this ordeal and tension for what? Just so that it can be shown to the world that the investigation is going on and there is progress?,” he questioned.
Vikram Sampath has questioned if the SIT would reach its rightful and logical conclusion in this way.
