Gauri Lankesh Murder: Killers were following ‘Kshatradharma Sadhana’ which commands getting rid of evildoers

Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Gauri Lankesh Murder has named a guidebook called ‘Kshatradharma Sadhana,’ and said this obscure book provided the killers’ guidance or ideology to carry out the crime against Ms.Lankesh.

The SIT in its filed charge sheet said that this particular book also is known as Spiritual Practice of Protecting Seekers and Destroying Evildoers is a guidebook for ‘seekers’ produced by the right-wing Sanatan Sanstha.

It is the guidebook for those “seekers,” which according to the Sanstha constitute just 10% of the society and how to get rid of the evildoers in the “fight between righteousness and unrighteousness”.

The Sanstha spokesperson Chetan Rajhans said that the was penned down by the founder of the organization Jayant Balaji Athavale and that the guidebook has been bought by over 10,000 people which categorically deals with the conduct of kings especially quotes from epic Mahabharata and Ramayana.
“It is really amusing that the SIT has named the book in its charge sheet,” Rajhans said.

“This is akin to saying that terrorists read the Quran and, hence, it is responsible for their senseless acts.”

Ms. Gauri Lankesh 55 was known for her strong anti-Hindutva views but was brutally shot dead in Bengaluru on September last year.

So far the SIT has accused 18 persons in Lankesh’s murder which includes shooter Parashuram Waghmare and masterminds Amol Kale, Sujith Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degwekar.

Among these 18 accused some of them are suspected to be involved in murdering rationalists MM Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare as well.

Investigating officers have also mentioned the book when Virendra Tawde was arrested in connection with the Dabholkar and Pansare cases in 2016.
While the police have claimed that people who attended have had links with the Sanstha but the organization maintains that none of those are its members but may have attended camps organised by it.

“From the time of inception of the Sanstha in 1990… till 1996 we did not make even a passing remark about the concept of the spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers (kshatradharma) at our satsangs and in our publications,” the book says.

“We began preaching this concept gradually since 1997. The Sanstha did not start the practice before 1996 because the time was not right.”

The Kshatradharma Sadhana believes that the time has come where it has become utmost necessary to undertake the “war for the sake of society”.

And in this war against the society and the wrongdoers is that the seeker’s only aim is to protect fellow seekers while slain others.

“Self-centred good-for-nothings in society” who “return from their workplace, take up their children’s lessons, go for an outing, a drama or visit friends or relatives on a weekend and visit the native place during vacation,” and others don’t deserve to be protected by seekers which indicates that it directs the seekers to slain the remaining 90% of the society.

The book also warns it’s followers or seekers that readers will face opposition when practicing it because “when you preach to society to ‘destroy evildoers’ you will certainly face greater opposition.” Among the forms of psychological opposition, a significant mention is given to rationalists, who “create intellectual confusion”.

The book commands the ‘seekers’ to slain the ones opposing the practice even if it is God.

According the book there are different types of practice to destroy evildoers — physical, psychological and spiritual.

“Only 5% of the crusade against evil will be of a physical nature. 5% of seekers will need to undergo training with weapons. The Lord will provide the weapons at the opportune moment through some medium,” the book further adds.
The book identifies Union leaders among the prime evildoers because instead of making “workers aware of their duties {they] only teach them to fight for their rights thus making them self-centered”.