Karnataka writers, intellectuals write to state govt over ‘threat’ to their lives from right-wing forces

Multilingual actor and director Prakash Raj, who has long been a harsh critic of Hindutva politics and right-wing extremism, shared a video on social media on Wednesday. In the video, a middle-aged person with vermillion ‘tilaka’ on the forehead and a saffron scarf around his neck threatened the vociferous actor of ‘eliminating’ him.

According to Prakash Raj, his only ‘crime’ was urging the state to act against ‘real’ perpetrators of crime in the rape and murder of 17-year-old Soujanya, whose body was found near Dharmasthala, a revered Hindu temple, in 2012. Dubbing Prakash Raj as a ‘traitor,’ the man in the video threatened the actor of ‘eliminating’ him if he failed to apologise within 24 hours.

The video, originally posted on August 8, was shared by Prakash Raj on Wednesday (August 16) . Tagging the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Home Minister G Parameshwara and the Karnataka Police, Prakash Raj commented in Kannada: “Nodrapaa.. uttara kumararu.. kole bedarike haaktaa iddare..yen maadana vasi yoli” (See, cowards are threatening to kill me. You please advise what I have to do.”).

Over 20 writers are under threat

Prakash Raj is not the only public intellectual who has received threats from the right-wing forces in Karnataka. Over 20 public intellectuals, including theatre and cinema actors, writers, and political critics, have received various types of threats, either through videos posted on social media or through letters to their respective addresses.

Over the past few months, writers, public intellectuals, playwrights and cine artists have received anonymous threats. The latest is Banjagere Jayaprakash and Vasundhara Bhoompathi. Others who have been living under the threat include Professor Baraguru Ramachandrappa, renowned critic K Marulasiddappa, former chairman Kannada Development Authority S G Siddaramaiah, writer Kum. Veerabhadrappa, and writer B L Venu.

‘It is one person’s act’

Speaking to The Federal, senior journalist and former media adviser to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Dinesh Amin Mattu, said that over 20 public personalities have received handwritten threatening letters. He suspects that one person is sending out threatening letters to all writers. In fact, Dinesh Amin Mattu, who received threats from Hindutva ideologue Chakravarthy Sulibele in 2012, had complained to Cubbon Park Police.

Sought CM’s intervention

A delegation of writers recently met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and appealed to him to undo the changes made to school textbooks when the BJP was in power. They had briefed him on the threatening letters to the writers. “Siddaramaiah directed the Director General of Police to investigate and act forthwith,” said Mattu. 

The situation turned a bit tense, with writer Banjagere Jayaprakash receiving two threatening letters on July 23 and August 9. Another delegation of writers sought the appointment with Home Minister G. Parameshwar. According to social activist K S Vimala, writers got an appointment on Saturday. “Writers will explain their predicament of living under threat,” she said.

Over 20 writers in Karnataka have been living under round-the-clock police security for the past ten years after their names figured in the hit list of those who were said to have gunned down both M M Kalburgi and journalist, writer and social activist Gauri Lankesh.

Families in trauma 

Speaking to media persons, Dr K Marulasiddappa, former chairman of Kuvempu Bhasha Bharathi Authority, said: “Free atmosphere for a writer is completely missing now. Threat perception is looming large on most of the writers who are opposing Hindutva politics and propagating pluralistic, democratic, secular and federal values. Karnataka’s intellectuals are living in an atmosphere of threat. It is their families who are undergoing the trauma. They shudder when writers venture out to participate in a public meeting. The government has to consider the situation seriously and act forthwith to facilitate writers engaging in intellectual activities without fear.”

Who killed MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh?

S G Siddaramaiah, former chairman of Kannada Development Authority and one of the prominent writers of Kannada, echoed similar sentiments. He said: “We are not either pro- or against any religion. We strongly believe in the Indian Constitution. We speak for the harmonious living of all in a free state like Karnataka. It is our right, too. No one can snatch that by creating fear psychosis. Everyone knows who killed Gauri Lankesh and MM Kalburgi. It is the responsibility of the government to create a free atmosphere for writers, who are creating awareness about the Constitution, liberty, and equality, among other things.”

Living under security is absurd

Speaking to The Federal, writer Baraguru Ramachandrappa, who has been living under security for the past seven years, said: “We have faced threat since the day Babri Masjid was demolished. I started facing threats from right-wing fundamental forces over my statement, ‘The demolition of the ancient Babri Masjid has turned into a heinous crime without criminals.’ It feels absurd for me to live like this in this democratic country. The security cover reminds me of the lurking threat. It is even more painful for my family,” he said.

Moving around with security has become embarrassing to many writers who have lived a normal life for decades. Some, including novelist B L Venu, who received 15 threat letters in the past 11 months, refused security. “I quit walking altogether as the police asked me to change the route often,” said Ramachandrappa. But the security cover has not dented their secular stand and writerly instincts.

The target: 64 authors, intellectuals

It is significant that right-wing forces are threatening to eliminate writers and activists who are critical of Hindutva and the communal policies of the dispensations in the state and at the Centre for the past few years. The letters mention that over 64 authors and intellectuals are targets of this group.

Fringe groups celebrated UR Ananthamurthy’s demise

M M. Kalburgi’s assassination on August 30, 2015 emboldened the right-wing activists and the threat perception has loomed large over the writers and intellectuals since then. Both Kalburgi and Jnanpith recipient writer U R Ananthamurthy were targeted by Hindutva forces for an essay that Ananthamurthy had written nearly two decades ago. Though Ananthamurthy was spared, he was tortured mentally. The tragedy of this harmonious Karnataka is that when Ananthamurthy passed away, a particular Hindutva group celebrated. Writer and journalist Gauri Lankesh was gunned down by those who killed Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar (August 20, 2013) and Govind Pansare (February 16, 2015), on September 5, 2017.

Writers and intellectuals, who had heaved a sigh of relief when the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government was sworn-in in Karnataka, are again in a state of anxiety. “It is not about our lives, but about the state of affairs of our society,” said S G Siddaramaiah, who hopes that his namesake CM Siddaramaiah will act and make Karnataka ‘Sarvajanangada Shantiya Thota” (a garden of peace for all races) as dreamt by Jnanpith-award-winning writer Kuvempu.

We haven’t forgotten elimination of Kalburgi, Lankesh: Parameshwar

It appears the ruling Congress government has taken cognizance of recent threats to the people in the cultural spectrum of Karnataka as both Kalburgi and Lankesh were eliminated by the extreme right-wing forces during its previous tenure. This time around it is ‘Sahishnu Hindu’ (tolerant Hindu), a fringe right-wing group that is threatening the intellectuals and public speakers.

Responding to a memorandum submitted by a group of writers and intellectuals, Home Minister G Parameshwar promised to extend the security cover to them. He said that the Director General of Police Alok Mohan and Police Commissioner, Bengaluru, have been directed to provide security to writers who are facing threat. Both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Parameshwar were alarmed by the content of the letter stating that those opposed to Hindutva would face the fate of Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh. “We have not forgotten the assassination of Kalburgi and Gauri,” Parameshwar told reporters.

Responding to a query about whether the communal forces were behind the threat, Parameshwar said: “I have no clue about it as of now and will get a full understanding of the development after meeting the writers on Saturday.”