‘Lawyers Collective’ Pays Tribute To Gauri Lankesh, Pledges To Defend Rule Of Law
Source: The Indian Express
Lawyers Collective (LC), an NGO fighting for issues such as human rights, has condemned the “cowardly murder” of Gauri Lankesh, the editor of Gauri Lankesh Patrike, while pledging to go along to maintain the rule of law and support rational voices.
Indira Jaising’s LC remembered Gauri as “an active voice of protest against the obscurantist policies of the State”.
The NGO said, “We stand united for the freedom to resist, in a regime where speaking out runs the risk of being killed.”
Gauri was murdered right outside her house in Bangalore on September 5 when some unidentified men shot her multiple times.
In a tribute to Gauri, LC trustees, including gassing and spouse Anand Grover, called for “a united stand of all champions of free speech”.
Terming the post- murder scenario a “time of shock and tribulation”, it pledged, “When they try to silence us, we must speak out loud.”
LC also recollected similar instances where rational voices were silenced with murder by unknown men.
“The murder of Gauri Lankesh cannot be seen in isolation, since it is suggestive of a bigger practice of silencing voices of rationalism which were discovered with the murders of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi who were all active crusaders of free words. These murders were all by “unidentified” persons and the cases still remain unresolved.
“These murders, which carry a striking similarity of intent of silencing the rationalist voices, have resulted in nationwide protests among a community of people who nevertheless trust in the idea of republic. This was an attack on the very ideas that are enshrined in our Constitution. By resisting and speaking up, we are ascertaining that we as a community of citizens have the freedom to speak out and dissent.”
In support and solidarity with Gauri, LC pledged to “oppose the principle of law and condemn the economic consumption of violence to silence rational voices”.
By: Manavi Joshi