Another bullet was shot yesterday
Another attempt to silence the voice of rationality
To take away the right of questioning conservatism,
The right to dissent, the right to democracy.
Dr. M.M. Kalburgi, former vice-chancellor of Hampi University, a well known Kannada scholar, was shot dead on the morning of 30th of August 2015, at his Dharwad (Karnataka) residence. He was scholar of Vachana literature and recipient of awards such as the Sahitya Academy award (for his Marga 4), Kendra Sahitya Academy award and many others. While the exact reason for this heinous crime is still to be known, it is clear that this act of hatred has be perpetrated by the conservative forces that were rubbed by the progressive work of Dr. Kalburgi. In fact his views on Vachana literature, on religion (Hinduism in particular), on the ideas of idol worship, had been a subject of attack by cultural conservative and right-wing forces, even on earlier occasions. He had been forced to recant his earlier work on Vachna verses (titled Marga 1) in 1989 and received death threats for hurting religious sentiments when he came out in support of the writer UN Ananthamurthy last year. He became the target of a hate campaign by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and other such elements for his forthright views against idol worship. It has also been reported that his house has often been target of stone pelting and other such acts of vandalism. It is obvious that his dissenting voice was not acceptable to the reactionary forces, who took the extreme step of forcefully shutting the voice.
Kalburgi’s murder and the modus operandi used are eerily similar to the murders of rationalists and anti-superstition campaigners- Narendra Dabholkar, and Govind Panasare, in the neighbouring state of Maharashtra. In recent times, such brutal attacks have also been taken place on rationalist bloggers in Bangladesh. This spate of murders on rationalists also comes at a time when the works of scholars such as Wendy Doniger, Perumal Murugan, and UN Ananthamurthy have been censored or the scholars have themselves been threatened, and when there is a general attack against such works in the realms of literature, history, and culture at large.
It would be an understatement to say that the work of Kalburgi and others are voices of dissent in a democracy, because the reaction to their work by the right-wing shows that these scholars and their work have hit out at and criticised the oppressive communal and casteist structure of institutions and religious beliefs in India. To condemn the murders of Dabholkar, Pansare, and Kalburgi, and seek justice is but one of the many steps that should be taken by progressive and secular forces in the country. The fact that their killers are still at large speaks volumes on the power that is wielded by these forces. It is imperative on the governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka that the killers and conspirators of these acts are brought to the book. At the same time, however, it is essential for all of the progressive forces to carry on the fight against irrationality and obscurantism with an untiring enthusiasm. It is only through our consistent struggle that we can defeat these attempts to spread a culture of violence and fear.
Progressive Students’ Forum (PSF)
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
31st August, 2015
Progressive Students' Forum TISS 