Hours after Sahitya Akademi award winning Kannada writer M M Kalburgi was shot dead at his home in Dharwad, Karnataka on Sunday, August 30, a Bajrang Dal leader threatened another writer KS Bhagwan.
Bhuvith Shetty, who is Bajrang Dal’s co-convener in Bantwal area of Dakshina Kannada district, tweeted like this:
After the tweet went viral on social media, Shetty, not only deleted his tweet but his Twitter handle, @GarudaPurana as well.
India Today reported that Shetty has apologised for issuing the threat.
Meanwhile, Bantwal police took a suo motu notice of the tweet, and filed a case for provocation to cause riot and criminal intimidation against Shetty.
“I vented my anger spontaneously but that doesn’t mean I or people from my organisation have killed Kalburgi. As for Bhagwan, he should know that he too could be targeted for his anti-Hindu statements. That doesn’t mean my organisation or I want to kill him,” Shetty said, as quoted by Hindustan Times .
Senior writer, researcher and former vice-chancellor of Kannada University M M Kalburgi was known for his rationalist views. Kalburgi was a close associate of Kannada’s legendary critic late UR Ananthamurthy. Both Kalburgi and Ananthamurthy were critical of idol worship and mocked at rituals and blind beliefs.
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