Pune Unites In Protest

September 6, 2017

In a grand display of solidarity, journalists, activists and citizens gathered to protest against the cold blooded murder of journalist and activist, Gauri Lankesh.

Lankesh was known for her fearless outspoken narrative and critique.

Condemning this act, Lakshmi Anantnarayan, a social worker, said that this was a systematic breakdown of press freedom and dissent.

“An incident like this only raises fear amongst us. It crushes dissent and violates our fundamental rights.”

Throughout the protest, slogans were chanted and speeches were given by activists like Vidya Bal and Neeraj Jain.

As a citizen, Mahipal Waghmare says that those who always fight for the truth are put down by fascist forces.

“I knew Gauri Lankesh. She worked relentlessly to speak against such fascist forces. Such forces will always try to put people like her down. Protests like these are very effective as it brings people together to unite and fight against such incidents.”

The protest was also attended by Ajit Abhyankar, a member of CPI (M), who feels that the real fight has just begun.

“We got our democratic rights for free. We never paid a price for them. There is need for discourse between all of us. This is not even a political fight. It is a fight for our rights and our freedom,” he says.

Speaking as a journalist, Mandar Gonjari states that it is the duty of the government and society to protect journalists. “Journalists and media houses have been losing respect and credibility since corporatisation. But our work has immense impact. Gauri Lankesh’s work in Kannada had a huge influence on people. The fear is much more now but we cannot stop working. We have to come out of it.”

Rest in Peace Gauri Lankesh…