Sangh behind the murders of Lankesh and Dabholkar Priyank's allegation

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Saturday demanded the resignation of Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge for his allegations that the Sangh Parivar was behind the murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh, scholar MM Kalburgi and rationalist Narendra Dabholkar. Kharge responded to Surya's demand on X. Kharge alleged that the investigation by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the murders revealed that the accused had links with secret networks linked to the RSS.

He claimed that similar links were exposed in the Govind Pansare murder case as well. Kharge also said that the RSS does not have any registration, membership details and financial accounts. He challenged Tejasvi Surya if he had the courage to register the company. He said he would pay the registration fee. Kharge made the remarks while addressing the state convention of the Muslim Youth League in Kochi, Kerala. He alleged that Sangh Parivar members were behind the murders of Kalburgi, Gauri Lankesh and Dabholkar. "The cases are under investigation and I will complete the investigation process in the next six months and send all those involved in the murders to jail," he said. He alleged that the same forces were behind Gandhi's assassination.

Tejashwi responded to Kharge's comments on X. "Instead of providing justice to the victims of the Gauri Lankesh and Prof Kalburgi murder cases, why are allegations being levelled against political platforms in Kerala? As the Home Minister of Karnataka, it is the responsibility of Kharge to expedite the trial and ensure justice is done as per law. It is not right to pronounce judgments on political platforms before the verdicts of the courts. Surya said that the chargesheet in the Gauri Lankesh murder case was filed in 2018 and the trial began in 2022. So far, the case has been heard by seven judges and all the accused are out on bail. As of September 2026, only 33 of the 139 witnesses had recorded their statements in the Kalburgi murder case. Surya demanded that the Home Minister should explain the reasons for the delay.