Three years on... M M Kalburgi’s family, supporters still await justice

Hubballi, Aug 30: Even though the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probing into the assassination of rationalist thinker Prof. Malleshappa Madivalappa Kalburgi (M M Kalburgi) has made some headway, several questions in the case have remained unanswered.

It has been three years since Prof Kalburgi was shot dead at his Kalyananagar house in Dharwad on August 30, 2015. An unidentified man had come to the Kalburgi’s house claiming to be his student and shot the scholar at point-blank range. The killer escaped from the spot on a motorcycle driven by another man. The next day, the state government handed over the case to the CID.

The lone satisfaction for the CID in the last three years is the ‘conclusion’ that two of the suspects involved in the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh last year are believed to be part of the killing of Kalburgi as well.

Prof. Kalburgi, who had served as the vice-chancellor of Kannada University, was known for his rational thinking and writing. He had earned the wrath of Hindutva extremists by frequently taking on religious orthodoxy through his research works.

Investigations into the killing of Gauri reportedly threw up leads in the Kalburgi murder case. The special investigation team (SIT) probing the journalist’s killing has suspected that Sujeeth Kumar and Ganesh Miskin, two of the 12 suspects in Gauri case, could be involved in the killing of Kalburgi too. It is not year clear which of the two pulled the trigger and which helped his accomplice make a getaway on the bike. While Sujeet is from Udupi, Miskin is a resident of Hubballi. Both are suspected to be members of rightwing organisations.

The Gauri Lankesh, Dr Kalburgi, Pansare, Dabholkar Hatya Virodhi Horata Samiti of Gadag wants the Karnataka special investigation team (SIT) to take over the probe. “The CID, which is investigating the case, is not yet successful and its investigation is not satisfactory. We demand that since the SIT investigation helped find suspects in the Kalburgi case, the case should be handed over to the SIT. We not only want the killers to be punished, we want the organisations which masterminded these killings to be brought to book,” said Samiti convener Basavaraj Sulibhavi.

Prof. Kalburgi’s son Srivijaya hopes justice will be done soon. “The SIT has arrested some suspects in connection with the case. However, there is no official announcement in this regard. The chargesheet should be submitted as soon as possible,” he said. Srivijaya also said various agencies are conducting investigations. “We filed a writ petition in Supreme Court demanding that the investigations be brought under the Supreme Court’s supervision. The case is being heard.”