— ✍️Tahreem Asim & Dr. Karamala Areesh Kumar

"I will do what I can, and I will say what I should. These intolerant voices find strength in our silence. Let them learn to argue using words instead of threats." Director Chaitanya KM emphasised Gauri Lankesh's remarks in her published obituary before she was killed. On September 5, 2017, a passionate journalist named Gauri Lankesh was assassinated outside her Bengaluru home. Nonetheless, she has had a significant impact on Indian media, leaving a legacy of dissent. 

Gauri Lankesh was an editor for Gauri Lankesh Patrike, which she inherited from her father, P Lankesh. Initially, Gauri Lankesh worked for the Times of India in Delhi, Sunday magazine, and ETV Telugu. After her father died, she acquired the Kannada Lankesh Patrike and founded the Gauri Lankesh Patrike, which published its own independent Kannada weekly newspaper. Gauri was targeted because of her advocacy against right-wing extremism, communal forces, and for social justice in her newspaper and speeches. 

Rollo Roming, an American journalist, in his work 'I am on the Hit List: Murder and Mythmaking in South Asia', described Gauri's personality as truthful and sympathetic and wrote about rising communalism, caste, and Hindutva politics. She was known for her strong ideas and criticism, but she spent her time helping friends, forming communities, and assisting individuals in need. Earlier in her media career, she believed in journalistic neutrality and objectivity. However, as she began reporting on conflict politics, she advocated for communal harmony and was recognised as an activist journalist. Later, Gauri Lankesh rejected the concept of an objective journalist, stating that no journalist can maintain a neutral stance. 

Gauri stated that power was attacked by journalists such as her father, P. Lankesh, and others; nonetheless, they received no life threats. In the recent decade, India has witnessed an increase in physical and online assaults and intimidation of journalists; similarly, Gauri faced severe online harassment from right-wing groups before her killing.

Recently, two journalists were harassed in a Delhi police station because of their religious identity; Lankesh predicted this type of persecution previously. In January 2025, a journalist was brutally murdered for revealing 120 crore construction scams in Chhattisgarh. The killings of MM Kalburgi, Govind Pansare, Gauri Lankesh, and Narender Dabholkar essentially follow a similar pattern in which rationality is the objective. When rationalism becomes the face of dissent, it poses a serious challenge to a socially conservative culture because it has the capacity to subvert conservative social norms and beliefs. 

RSF (Reporters Without Borders) puts India 157th out of 180 nations in the World Press Freedom Index 2026, down six spots from 2025 and behind Pakistan and Bangladesh. In past World Press Freedom Index rankings, India ranked 80th in 2002 and 161st in 2023. RSF findings clearly indicate the decline of Indian media and the limited scope for dissent. NDTV India was sold to large private investors in 2022, and prominent journalist Ravish Kumar quit to form his own media outlet. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act was approved by Parliament in 2023, but the Press Club of India condemned it for limiting RTI, investigative journalism, and the confidentiality of sources.

Furthermore, the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) bill has been proposed but not yet passed; it has the potential to over-scrutinise and analyse online digital content and news produced by content creators and journalists. Social media platforms have emerged as important sources of news in two ways: first, misinformation, disinformation, online abuse, and deepfakes that jeopardise critical situations. Second, news that is not covered by mainstream media owing to censorship reaches people via social media posts and reporting. RSF also stated that Indian independent media journalists have endured critical judicial harassment by using the legal system to conduct raids and arrests, resulting in the stifling of criticism. 

Gauri Lankesh's Patrike, now known as Nyay Patha, continues to operate. Gauri Lankesh inspires not only journalists with her work and resilience, but also individuals who wish to speak rationally and hold the powerful accountable. Gauri's assassination is a reflection of India's press freedom, rather than a solitary attack on a journalist. Gauri's concerns about internet abuse, legal threats, and violence against Indian journalists remain relevant even today. Gauri Lankesh's resilience and words demonstrate that courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to speak despite it. 

About the Authors

1. Tahreem Asim, student of International Relations and Peace Studies, St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru.

2. Dr. Karamala Areesh Kumar, Head, Department of International Relations, Peace and Public Policy (IRP and PP), St Joseph’s University, Bengaluru.