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Kannada writers getting threats to get police protection, says state home minister
Over 15 writers and intellectuals from the state have written to Parameshwara, stating that they have been receiving threatening letters for the past one year and sought time to meet him
Bengaluru
In response to threat letters targeting prominent Kannada writers, home minister G Parameshwara said police protection will be provided to them.
A collective of writers is scheduled to meet the home minister on Saturday to address the situation. Among those seeking protection are writers SG Siddaramaiah, Vasundhara Bhoopathi, Kum Veerabhadrappa, Prof Marulasiddappa, and Banajagere Jayaprakash, among others.
Over 15 writers and intellectuals from the state have written to Parameshwara, stating that they have been receiving threatening letters for the past one year and sought time to meet him. They also said they received letters saying that they will meet the fate of late activists MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh.
The two were shot dead by a fringe group during the tenure of the previous BJP government.
Prof Marulasiddappa, in a communication to the home minister, said writers and intellectuals have been targeted by threatening correspondence from elements associated with communal ideologies. The professor urgently appealed to the minister for immediate measures to uphold their right to free expression and to instruct the police force to ensure their safety.
The home minister said the government is committed to addressing the matter with the utmost seriousness. “The memories of Gauri Lankesh and Prof Kalburgi’s tragic fates are still fresh in our minds. I have personally instructed the police to provide the necessary security to the writers. During our meeting on Saturday, we will collect comprehensive details from them,” he said.
He said the state government will take the threat to the litterateurs and intellectuals seriously.
“I am giving directions to the DGP and the police commissioner to provide security to the litterateurs. We will take it seriously,” he added. Asked whether communal forces were behind the threat letters sent to the literatteurs, he said he has no clue. “We will know only after meeting the literatteurs. Based on the information they have we can take appropriate action,” he added.
According to the complaint from the writers over the past year, several liberal writers in Karnataka have been persistently receiving death threats signed by an entity identifying as “Sahishnu Hindu.” While one individual was apprehended in connection with these threats, the threatening letters have persisted, most recently targeting writer BL Venu in Chitradurga earlier this week.
In July an investigation into the case has led to the arrest of a 28-year-old medical representative Pradeep from Harihara in May 2023. As the charges against him were all bailable, Pradeep has since been released on bail.
