Senior journalist Gauri Lankesh murdered at her Raja Rajeshwari Nagar residence in Bengaluru. Gauri was the daughter of writer, translator and journalist P Lankesh.
Reports say, at around 6.30 pm, unidentified men shot at Gauri and wounded her fatally before escaping from the scene.
Police said that Gauri was getting out of her car to open the gate of her house, when assailants shot her. The shots penetrated her chest and she was killed on the spot, reports said.
She was a veteran editor and columnist in both Kannada and English, and was a vocal critic of the right wing.
The manner in which Gauri was killed is eerily similar to the way in which rationalist MM Kalburgi who was the Former Vice Chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi was killed two years ago. MM Kalburgi was also known for his outspoken criticism of the right wing.
Last year, Gowri Lankesh was convicted of criminal defamation in two cases by the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Hubballi.
Dharwad BJP MP Prahallad Joshi and BJP leader Umesh Dhushi had filed individual defamation cases against Lankesh in objection to a report on BJP leaders she had published in her periodical on January 23, 2008.