Writers, Academics Respond to Gauri Lankesh’s Murder: Nayantara Sahgal

I want to ask the government of India one question: Which country do you belong to that you keep watching the murder of Indian citizens, and neither put a stop to this ongoing blood-letting nor, it is now obvious, wish to put a stop to it? How many corpses will it take to shock you into taking action?

This is the country of Mahatma Gandhi and his disciple, Jawaharlal Nehru, who guaranteed our right to freedom of expression. You are busy wiping their names out of history but you cannot wipe out our freedoms.

Today is a day of national mourning.

A courageous outspoken woman, a highly respected journalist, has been gunned down in cold blood for disagreeing with you and for speaking her mind. Her murder is one more horror in a growing number of murders of known and unknown Indians by fanatics who know they will go scot free to kill again and again. You, the government of India, are accountable. When will you act?