M M Kalburgi (1938 - 2015)

Let us Salute M M Kalburgi

Jnan Sil

After Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, Sabin Mahmood, Abhijit Roy, Wasiqur Rahman, Ananta Bejoy Das and Niladri Chattopadhay the rabid religious fundamentalists and terrorists against humanism, progressive thinking and civilization  struck again this philosophically and culturally resourceful, diversified, liberal and enduring Indian Sub-continent. This time their target was famous expert and authority of Kannada literature, language, scripts and folks, particularly Vachana literature, pioneer researcher on ethno-culture, rationalist, contributor of research volumes ‘Marg I to Marg IV’ and ex–Vice Chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi, Karnataka Mallesappa M. Kalburgi.

Malleshappa Madivalappa Kalburgi (28 November 1938 – 30 August 2015) was an Indian scholar of Vachana sahitya (Vachana literature) and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi. He was awarded the National Sahitya Akademi award in 2006 for Marga 4, a collection of his research articles.^[1] He was also a noted epigraphist of Kannada. He came under criticism in the 1980s from the lingayats community of Karnataka, after he was accused of making "derogatory references" to Basava, a 12th-century philosopher who is revered by the community, Basava's wife and sister, in his Marga 1, a work on Kannada folklore, religion and culture. In 2014, he had spoken openly against idolatry in Hinduism in support of another Kannada writer U. R. Ananthamurthy.

A rationalist, Kalburgi had run-ins with right wing Hindutva groups over the years.^[2] He was shot dead in the morning of 30 August 2015 by 2 gunmen at his residence in Dharwad district of Karnataka.^[3]

Having faced death threats previously, Kalburgi had demanded security from the government of Karnataka, but had not been provided with it initially.^[10] On having had "special protection" for a few days, he requested the police to have them removed in August 2015.^[11]

At 8:40 am IST, on 30 August 2015, Kalburgi was shot by an unidentified gunman at the former's residence in the Kalyan Nagar locality of Dharwad. The men, posing as his students, reached his residence on a motorcycle and knocked at the door when his wife, Umadevi, answered. As she went inside to fetch coffee for them, one of the men fired two rounds at Kalburgi's chest and forehead at point blank range, while the other waited outside.^[12] Immediately afterwards, they fled the scene. An ambulance was called and attempts were made to resuscitate Kalburgi. He was first taken to a private hospital and then to the District Civil Hospital of Dharwad, where the doctors declared that he died en route.^[13]

The Killers?: Co-convenor of the Bajrang Dal's Bantwal cell, Bhuvith Shetty, triggered a controversy on Sunday by welcoming the assassination of scholar MM Kalburgi who was shot dead at his house in Dharwad. "Then it was UR Ananthamurthy and now MM Kalburgi. Mock Hinduism and die dogs (sic.) death. And dear KS Bhagwan you are next," Shetty tweeted.

Let us salute the great rationalist, Mallesappa M. Kalburgi, a renowned Kannada scholar for his relentless struggle against superstition, idol worship, religious hypocrisy of all hues. 

Let us declare that we shall not be cowed by such dastardly killings by the fundamentalists of all hues.