Legacy of Kalburgi: Killers at Large and His Dream in Cold Storage

Two years after Kalburgi’s death, lack of political will makes an Act, meant to be a tribute to him, remain a dream.

On 29 August 2015, MM Kalburgi, a social activist and noted Kannada writer, was shot dead at his residence.

(Photo: The Quint/Liju Joseph)

(This story was first published on 30 August 2017 to mark professor MM Kalburgi’s second death anniversary. It has been republished from The Quint’s archives in light of the murder of Gauri Lankesh, a senior journalist and right-wing critic, at her residence on Tuesday.)

Two men pretending to be students knocked on the door of professor MM Kalburgi’s house in Dharwad’s Kalyan Nagar. It was around 8:40 am on 30 August 2015. His wife, who is used to fans and visitors, let them in and went to fetch coffee for the guests.

But little did she know then that one of the men would walk up to Kalburgi and shoot him point blank in the chest and forehead. The duo fled from the spot and Kalburgi was declared dead on arrival at a hospital.

It has been two years since the writer and rationalist was shot dead. Tasked with the investigation, the Karnataka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has not managed to crack the case so far.

Not only has the murder case been put in the cold storage, but the state Assembly has also failed to pass the Karnataka Prevention of Superstitious Practices Bill, which was drafted in tribute to Kalburgi.

He was one of the prominent voices in Karnataka demanding a strong anti-superstition bill. (Photo Credit: PTI)

A Rationalist, who Battled Superstitions

Kalburgi, a scholar and the former vice chancellor of Hampi University, was a renowned rationalist. He was one of the prominent voices in Karnataka demanding a strong anti-superstition bill.

Following his murder, a group of writers together with family members of Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, rationalists who were also killed in a similar fashion, approached the Karnataka government to pass the Bill.

What is The Bill All About?

The Karnataka Prevention of Superstitious Practices Bill was framed on the lines of the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013. The initial draft of the bill was prepared by experts at National Law School University India and later an expert committee formed by the government took over the draft.

While the Maharashtra Act doesn’t specify the superstitious practices, the Karnataka Bill lists 23 practices as superstitious. Practices listed included human sacrifice, exorcism, black magic, witchcraft, aghori, rituals with self-inflicting injury, throwing of infants from a height onto a bed of thorns, parading women naked and killing animals by biting their neck, among many.

The Bill was placed before the Karnataka Assembly in 2016, however, it was not passed. There were many who voiced their opposition to the Bill, even within the ruling Congress party. One of the main points of contention was where to draw the line between superstition and belief. Lack of consensus in this matter eventually ended in the Bill not being passed.

New Campaign for The Bill

But all’s not lost yet. Chandrashekar Patil, a public intellectual who battled for the Bill along with Kalburgi, said that from the first week of September a campaign will be kickstarted to ensure that the Bill materialises into an Act.

“The chief minister and the law minister have affirmed several times that they would get the Bill passed. So, starting from the first week of September, we are going to start another campaign to put pressure on the government. We are also planning a big rally at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, demanding the Bill be passed,” he said.

Chances Are Bleak with Elections Ahead

While there is optimism among a group of advocates for the Anti-Superstition Bill, many also believe that with an election getting closer, the chances of the Bill getting passed are bleak. Gowri Lakesh, a senior journalist and social activist, said, “I don’t think the Bill will come up again in the Assembly. Firstly, there is opposition for the Bill within the Congress party itself. Secondly, ahead of the election no party would want to take a chance with their vote banks,” she said.

Awareness Needed

According to her, the misconceptions about the Bill is one of the reasons why there is opposition. Because of the misrepresentation of the Bill, people have understood it to be something that snatches their belief systems rather than removing superstition. “The government which is already issuing several advertisements in the media, should have an advertisement explaining what this Bill is all about,” she added.

An Unfulfilled Legacy

Two years after his coldblooded murder, the Karnataka government has neither been able to bring to justice those who killed Kalburgi, nor has it been able to honour the writer’s campaign – one that eventually cost him his life.