Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke met journalist Gauri Lankesh’s sister, Kavitha Lankesh, and niece, Esha Lankesh, in Bengaluru and described them as his “new family” in a post on X on Friday, a day after the party’s protest in the city.
Sharing a photograph with Kavitha and Esha, Dipke said he was leaving Bengaluru with fond memories and expressed gratitude for the warmth and affection he had received during his visit.
“Leaving Bengaluru with so much love in my heart. The warmth, affection and kindness I’ve received over the last two days have been truly overwhelming. Sending a big hug to my new family, Kavitha Lankesh and Esha Lankesh. I came here as a stranger and am leaving with a family I know I’ll keep coming back to. ❤️,” he wrote. Read the post here: Gauri Lankesh was a senior Kannada journalist and editor of Gauri Lankesh Patrike. The daughter of noted poet and journalist P Lankesh, she was known for her criticism of Hindu right-wing extremism.
She was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru on the evening of September 5, 2017.
Dipke also thanked actor-activist Prakash Raj and CJP national secretary Aafreen Nawaz, whom he referred to as his “elder sister”, for inviting him to Bengaluru and introducing him to the city’s warmth and generosity. He said they had given him not just beautiful memories but also a home to return to. Read the post here: A day earlier, Kavitha Lankesh had also praised Dipke in a post on X, saying that if her sister Gauri had been alive, she would have declared him her “adopted son” and stood alongside the CJP members, whom she referred to as “Cockroaches”.
In the murder case, 17 of the 18 accused have been released on bail, while one remains absconding. Sharad Bhausaheb Kalaskar was granted bail in 2025. Earlier, N Mohan Nayak, alias Sampanje, was granted bail in December 2023, followed by several other accused, including Bharat Kurane, Srikanth Pangarkar, Amit Dighvekar, KT Naveen Kumar and Suresh HL. In October 2024, a Bengaluru sessions court had granted bail to eight other accused: Amol Kale, Rajesh Bangera, Vasudev Suryawanshi, Rushikesh Devadekar, Parshuram Waghmore, Ganesh Miskin, Amith Ramachandra Baddi and Manohar Dundeepa Yadave.
Gauri Lankesh’s mother, Indira Lankesh, a writer, publisher and entrepreneur, died in July this year.
