Gauri Lankesh murder case: Accused refuses to undergo narco test after initially consenting to it

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Gauri Lankesh murder case has hit a roadblock after the only arrested accused KT Naveen Kumar refused to undergo narco test after having consented to it earlier.Kumar, who was flown to Ahmedabad on Monday for the narco analysis, gave a written objection to all the tests in front of the forensic psychologist, reported CNN-News18. The team, along with Kumar, will now return to Bengaluru.[caption id="attachment_4373883" align="alignleft" width="380"]

Representational image. PTI[/caption]The SIT probing the Karnataka journalist's murder case had obtained permission from the court for conducting the narco test on the accused in March. The court had sought Kumar's consent, as per procedure, for the tests. He said he was ready to undergo the narco test if there were no ill-effects on his health.The New Indian Express quoted sources as saying that when Kumar was brought to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Gujarat and asked to sign his consent on some documents, he threatened to commit suicide if subjected to the test.Kumar was taken into custody on 3 March by the Karnataka SIT for questioning. He hails from Birur town in Chikkamagaluru district, about 250 kilometres west of Bengaluru, SIT Investigating Officer MN Anucheth said.Lankesh, 55, the editor of Lankesh Patrike, was shot dead outside her residence in the city's southwestern suburb by unidentified assailants on 5 September last year.The state government had set up the SIT to probe the journalist-activist's killing.With inputs from agencies