Senior Bengaluru-based journalist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead at her residence in the city on Tuesday evening, sending shockwaves across the country. The outspoken journalist is reported to have been shot at point-blank range at her house in Ideal Homes Layout in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar. Unidentified men are reported to have fired several bullets at her, killing her instantly.

Her cold-blooded murder has evoked reactions of shock, despair and anger among journalists and activists who have known her for several years.

Speaking to The News Minute just after the news of her murder broke, journalist Ammu Joseph said, “What can one say, I am extremely shocked. It is shocking and tragic. There is a lot of speculation and I do not want to get into any of it right now. She had a lot of enemies, but did they hate her so much that they would get into her home and shoot her? I don’t know."

Journalist Prem Panicker says that while it is not clear who killed her, the general environment in the country for dissenters is worsening.