Mumbai, Sep 6 (IANS): The Brihanmumbai Union of Journalists on Tuesday expressed shock and anger at the dastardly killing of veteran Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru this evening.

In a statement here late on Tuesday night, it said Gauri Lankesh "has been a trenchant and courageous critic of Hindutva and casteist politics."

"Since last November, she has been fighting her conviction in a criminal defamation case against BJP MP in Dharwad Prahlad Joshi and was out on bail," said the BUJ.

Vowing that "journalists will not be cowed down by such cowardly acts", the BUJ demanded that the Karnataka government move with speed to investigate the killing and book the assailants.

"As it is, there has been no progress in the investigation into the death of the renowned writer (M.M.) Kalburgi. The failure to book the culprits will further embolden obscurantist forces in their nefarious attempts to intimidate and silence independent voices of dissent and reason," the statement added.