Over a decade after the tragic murder of rationalist Narendra Achyut Dabholkar, a special CBI Court in Pune on May 10 sentenced his assailants Sachin Prakashrao Andure and Sharad Bhausaheb Kalaskar to life imprisonment for murder. A fine of ₹5 lakh was also imposed.  The court however, acquitted three other accused — alleged mastermind Virendrasinh Sharadchandra Tawade, lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar and his assistant Vinay Bhave due to the failure of both the Maharashtra police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to procure sufficient evidence.

Harsh words and comments on the conduct of the probe by India’s prime investigative agency, the CBI can be found in the 171 page judgement. While castigating the approach of the defence that has brazenly attempted to justify the killing labelling him “anti-Hindu”, the Court recognised the “pre-planning” behind the daylight assassination by “masterminds.” “Unfotunately,” however, states the court, “the prosecution has failed to unmask those master minds. “An overall shoddy and lackadaisical approach on the evidence gathering by the CBI, including the failure to establish the veracity of the confessional statement of Sharad Kalaskar recorded under the KCOC Act, ensured that such evidence could not be considered.”

“In the present case, the CBI ought to have carried out detailed investigation in that angle… The main master mind behind the crime is someone else. Pune police as well as CBI has failed to unearth those master minds. They have to introspect whether it is their failure or deliberate inaction on their part due to influence by any person in powers.” [Para 108, Page 160]

Sessions Judge Prabhakar P. Jadhav therefore concluded that that while the two convicts executed the murder, “the main mastermind behind the crime is someone else”. The two convicts hail from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (then called Aurangabad district) in Maharashtra. Andure worked as an accountant in a private shop and Kalaskar was a farmer.

The 69-year-old Dabholkar was shot dead on August 20, 2013, by two motorcycle-borne assailants on the Omkareshwar bridge near Pune’s Shanivar Peth area when he was out on a morning walk. Dabholkar’s murder along with three other similar murder cases — that of veteran communist leader and trade unionist, Govind Pansare (February 2015), cholar of Kannada, MM Kalburgi (August 2015) and Bengauluru based journalist, Gauri Lankesh(September 2017) had sparked prrotest and national outrage against the targeting of critics of Hindutva and campaigners against superstition and orthodoxy. Activists and stakeholders over the years have demanded a probe into the possibility of a common conspiracy on the ground that the pattern of execution of the killings were similar.

The judgement is a slight setback to the conclusion of investigators in Maharashtra and Karnataka that a right-wing organisation called Sanatan Sanstha was commonly behind the heinous murder of ideological adversaries between 2013 and 2017, although the question is still alive in three other ongoing murder trials.

Virendrasinh Tawde, an otolaryngologist associated with the Sanstha’s activities, is the one acquitted of the conspiracy charge. He was an aggressive opponent of Dabholkar and his Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti Maharashtra, an organisation campaigning against superstitions. Despite the court finding that Sachin Andure and Sharad Kalaskar, young men associated with the Sanstha, were the ones who shot dead the 69-year-old Dabholkar in Pune, it criticised the failure to “unmask the masterminds”. This meant that the role of the Sanatan Sanstha is yet to be legally established in this case, although the court has noted the manner in which the defence lawyers sought to tarnish the image of Dabholkar and his activities.

Additional Sessions Judge P.P. Yadav’s 171-page judgment points out that the existence of a motive will be insufficient to prove a conspiracy, and that reliable and direct evidence is required to show that the accused had acted on the motive. However, the judge does find it strange that the defence was seeking to establish during cross-examination of witnesses that the victim was “anti-Hindu”.

The Sanatan Sanstha’s role, according to investigators in Maharashtra and Karnataka, was seen in the murders of Govind Pansare, a leftist leader at Kolhapur in Maharashtra (2015), academician M.M. Kalburgi (Dharwad, 2015) and journalist Gauri Lankesh (Bengaluru, 2017).

In fact, it was a ballistics analysis of the gun used to kill Lankesh – by the SIT appointed by the Karnataka government – that disclosed that it was the same weapon used in the murder of Kalburgi. Several common features in the four murders have so far been unearthed, leading the police to conclude that a single syndicate has been active in seeking to eliminate adversaries. The governments in Maharashtra and Karnataka must show greater political will in combating such threats to independent thinkers and activists.

Narendra Dabholkar a crusader leader and activist

Dabholkar was a physician, activist, rationalist and author based in Maharashtra. He founded the Committee for the Eradication of Blind Faith (Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, or MANS) after leaving his decade-long medical practice. He was also the editor of the weekly Marathi magazine Sadhana which championed liberal thought and scientific temperament. As a prominent crusader against religious superstitions, he was highly critical of godmen who promised “miracle cures” to ailments.

Dabholkar also spent decades advocating for a law to ban fraudulent and exploitative superstitious practices and played a crucial role in drafting the Andhashraddha Nirmulan Bill, 2005 (Anti-Superstition Bill) which was pending before the Maharashtra legislature at the time of his death. This law was opposed by various organisations and political parties for being “anti-Hindu”. In a twist of welcome irony, it was finally passed as an ordinance on August 24, 2013 — days after Dabholkar’s death. In December of that year, the State legislature passed the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifive and Other Inhuman, evil and Abhorrent Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013.

The investigation and case

Over the past decade, various investigating agencies have handled the case starting from the Pune police to the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS). In 2014, the CBI took over the case following a Bombay High Court direction. The next year, the High Court began monitoring the probe after  members of Dabholkar’s family complained that there that there had been no progress in the investigation. It was only last year that the Court  decided to discontinue monitoring after expressing some satisfaction with the way the trial was progressing. of the trial.

On Friday, May 10, Sachin Prakashrao Andure and Sharad Bhausaheb Kalaskar were convicted under Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (IPC), along with charges under the Indian Arms Act, 1959. However, the rest of the three accused were acquitted of charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) and Section 120B of the IPC (criminal conspiracy).

During the proceedings, the prosecution examined 20 witnesses which included various close associates of the Sanatan Sanstha, an extreme right-wing Hindu organisation which had expressed strong opposition to the 2005 Anti-Superstition Bill spearheaded by Dabholkar. The Court identified this enmity as the primary motive for the murder. Other witnesses included Dabholkar’s son Hamid and activists from the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti.

The first accused in the case, ENT surgeon Virendrasinh Tawde, was arrested in June 2016 with the CBI claiming that he was a coordinator for Sanatan Sanstha in Kolhapur and had personal differences with Dabholkar. Before his arrest in this case, Tawade had also been arrested by the Maharashtra police for the murder of CPI leader, Govind Pansare. The CBI charge sheet stated that he was the “mastermind” of the conspiracy to commit the murder.

The two convicted assailants — Andure and Kalaskar were arrested only in 2018 when their role in the murder of Gauri Lankesh came up. The ATS apprehended the duo with the help of Karnataka Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT). They were subsequently named in a supplementary charge sheet filed in February 2019. Eventually, in May 2019, Mumbai-based lawyer Sanjeev Punalekar was arrested along with his close aide Vikram Bhave who was earlier convicted for his role in the 2008 Gadkari Rangayatan Theatre bomb blast in Thane. All the accused were allegedly linked to the Sanatan Sanstha.

According to the CBI, Bhave reportedly participated in a recce along with Andure and Kalaskar about 15 days before the murder. In its charge sheet, the agency claimed that Punalekar had advised Kalaskar to destroy the firearms used in multiple murders – including that of Dabholkar and Gauri Lankesh. On Punalekar’s instructions, Kalaskar had allegedly thrown four country-made pistols into a creek near Thane on July 7, 2018. However, the agency later told the trial Court that efforts to recover the murder weapon had been unsuccessful!

It was on September 15, 2021 that charges were framed against the five accused by the special CBI Court marking the beginning of the trial.

The verdict

In its detailed 171 page judgement the Court has called out the CBI for a failure to investigate thoroughly, a lackadaisical approach to the gathered evidence, ensuring that the “masterminds” are not nabbed and that conspiracy is not proven. “The murder is committed with very well-prepared plan, which is executed by accused Nos. 2 (Andure) and 3 (Kalaskar). Considering the economic and social status of the accused Nos. 2 and 3, they are not the masterminds of the crime. The main mastermind behind the crime is someone else. Pune police as well as CBI has failed to unearth those master minds. They have to introspect whether it is their failure or deliberate inaction on their part due to influence by any person in powers”, it underscored.

Emphasising further that Tawade, Punalekar and Bhave were being acquitted only due to the shoddy investigation conducted by the CBI, the Court observed — “There is evidence of motive for murder of Dr Narendra Dabholkar against accused No.1 Dr Virndrasinh Tawde. There is reasonable suspicion against accused No. 4. Sanjiv Punalekar and accused No.5. Vikram Bhave, showing their involvement in the present crime. However, the prosecution has failed to establish the involvement of accused Nos. 1, 4 and 5 by leading reliable evidence to convert motive and suspicion into the form of evidence showing their involvement in the crime.” Accordingly, terror charges under Section 16 of the UAPA and charges of criminal conspiracy were dropped against the three accused.

The Court also criticised the Maharashtra state authorities for procedural lapses in obtaining appropriate sanction orders for the prosecution of the acquitted accused under the UAPA. The Rules prescribed for the law mandate that the competent authority must submit its recommendation for sanction to the Central or State Government within seven working days of receiving evidence gathered by the investigating officer. However, during the proceedings, it was revealed that Shirish Nagorao Mohod, then Deputy Secretary and Sanjay Kumar Shyamkishor Prasad, then Additional Chief Secretary of the Mumbai Home Department had failed to process the sanction orders on time. [Paras 65-66, Pages 115-116]

“Considering the status of deceased this case is of national importance. Despite the said fact, casual and negligent approach of PW15 (Shirish Nagorao Mohod) and PW19 (Sanjay Kumar Shyamkishor Prasad), is not only shocking but requires condemnation. It shows that even through this case is of national importance, officers on high posts PW15 and PW19 have not shown utmost care and caution expected from them.”State of Maharashtra v. Virendrasinh Tawde and Ors (2024)Sessions Case No.706/2016

“Present case is very serious and is of national importance. Not only, Dr. Narendra Dabholkar is assassinated but an attempt is made to finish his ideology”, judge Jadhav critically noted. He also implicated Sanatan Sanstha and its affiliates—Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, Warkari Sampraday, and others for “nurturing bitter enmity against” the rationalist. [Para 72, Page 125]

The Court also expressed serious reservations over the conduct of defence counsels during the proceedings. It pointed out how attempts were made to imply that Dabholkar was “hated” because he had “insulted Hindu gods”. Calling this approach “very strange and is condemnable”, the Court further highlighted, “The charge sheeted accused and defence counsels have not merely attempted to raise the defence. From unnecessary and irrelevant lengthy cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses and even in final argument, an attempt is made to tarnish image of the deceased. At the same time, the approach of the defence was to justify the killing of the deceased Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, by labelling him as anti-Hindu.”

After perusing the testimonies of eyewitnesses, the Court concluded that Andure and Kalaskar had indeed shot Dabholkar dead.

The battle for justice continues

Speaking to the media the day of the judgement, son and daughter of Dabholkar, Hamid and Mukta, stated that the conviction of Andure and Kalaskar had reaffirmed their faith in the judiciary but they intended to appeal against the acquittals of the other five accused.

“We are satisfied that the two accused have been convicted and sentenced to life, but the masterminds also need to be punished. We are determined to pursue justice and take the case to the Supreme Court. The charge sheets, including those related to murders of Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh reveal alarming connections, indicating a broader conspiracy spanning multiple cases. All the cases have a common thread, which is what investigation agencies have been saying. Until the conspirator in all these cases is apprehended, the safety of all rationalists remains in jeopardy.”

The judgement may be read here:

Related:

10 years since Narendra Dabholkar’s murder, protest in Mumbai, SC asks CBI to look into ‘larger conspiracy’

Dabholkar murder case trial to begin soon; Pune court frames charges against accused

Bombay HC disturbed at delay in Dabholkar-Pansare murder investigation

The post Rationalist Murders: Slamming CBI’s shoddy probe & failure to nab masterminds, Pune court slams attempt to “finish off Dabholkar’s ideology” appeared first on SabrangIndia.

 

Rationalist Dr. Narendra Dabholkar, on being offered police protection, had remarked, “If I have to take police protection in my own country from my own people, then there is something wrong with me. I’m fighting within the framework of the Indian Constitution, and it is not against anyone, but for everyone.” Five years ago, on August 20, 2013, Dr. Dabholkar was assassinated in Pune. Under the banner of Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS), an organisation that Dr. Dabholkar founded and headed, he strived to instill scientific temperament and educate the people against the irrational superstitions. His fight to eradicate prevalent inhumane and irrational superstitious practices had earned him several enemies in his home state Maharashtra. Sanatan Sanstha (SS), a Hindu extremist group founded in 1999 by Jayant Balaji Athavale, a hypnotherapist, was pointed at by Dabholkar’s supporters, relatives, and now even the investigations are pointing at the involvement of the affiliates of the SS. 

The Goa-based SS has the vision of establishing a “Hindu Rashtra” (Hindu Nation) and propagating extremist Hindutva ideology. The organisation gives a call to, in its founders’ words, “Destroy evildoers if you have been advised by saints or Gurus to do so. Then these acts are not registered in your name.” Those who oppose the idea of the Hindu Rashtra are the evildoers for the SS. Hence, the organisation spreads terror by wiping out its enemies to realise its dream of establishing a Hindu Rashtra, as it did in the case of Dabholkar. A day after Dabholkar’s death, the SS published a statement by its founder, Athavale, on its website. It read, “Births and deaths are predestined, and everybody gets the fruit of their karma. Instead of dying bedridden through illness, or after some surgery, such a death for Dabholkar is a blessing of the Almighty.” Athavale added that though “Dabholkar was an atheist and did not believe in god, the same god would give solace to the departed soul.”

Two years after Dabholkar, rationalists Govind Pansare and M M Kalburgi, and in 2017 journalist Gauri Lankesh, were assassinated. The investigations have shown that the possibility of the same set of people having been involved in an attempt to silence the anti-Hindutva, rational and secular voices in the country through these assassinations is no longer a mere speculation. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set to investigate the case of Gauri Lankesh has revealed a larger conspiracy of the extremist Hindu terror outfits functional in the country. The SIT has said that persons arrested so far in the case of Gauri Lankesh are affiliated to SS and its splinter Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS). The revelations made by the SIT reports are chilling and has brought to light a full-fledged plan to kill all those who do not propagate the idea of a  Hindu Rashtra.

SIT investigations and a new direction for investigation
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the case of Dr. Dabholkar, still is far from arresting the assassin. The CBI arrested Sachin Prakashrao Andure of Aurangabad on August 18, 2018, alleging that he was among those who shot Dabholkar. Andure is the fourth person to be arrested in the case. On June 20, 2014 Manish Nagori and Vilas Khandewal were arrested by Pune police. Following a PIL filed by journalist Ketan Tirodkar, the CBI had taken over this case in May 2014 on the directions of the Bombay High Court. In May 2016, Virendra Tawde of SS was arrested in connection with the case. Along with Tawde, the CBI has named Vinay Pawar, who is missing since 2009, Sarang Akolkar, who is absconding in the October 2009 Goa blast case, as prime suspects. The CBI also suspects that Andure hatched the murder conspiracy with Tawde. 

While the investigations in the murders of Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi have not yet nailed the culprits, the SIT investigating the murder of Gauri Lankesh, has been successful in tracking down her assassin, and his confessions have confirmed what the gun indicated and has unveiled a larger conspiracy. The conspiracy and its scale began to unravel last year when a Forensic Science Lab report revealed that the same gun was used to kill Kalburgi, Pansare and Lankesh. The three murders occurred at different places, and were months apart. It cannot be a coincidence that the same murder weapon was used everywhere.

Parashuram Waghmare was arrested on June 12, 2018, and was produced before the 3rdAdditional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Court. He has confessed to have assassinated the Gauri Lankesh to “save Hinduism”. The SIT had earlier arrested five people– K.T. Naveen Kumar alias Hotte Manja, Amol Kale, Manohar Edve, Sujeeth Kumar alias Praveen and Amit Degvekar. The confessions of Waghmare brought already arrested Amol Kale into light. During the course of its investigation, the SIT has recovered two lists containing names of 34 targeted individuals who had publicly condemned Hindutva politics. The list recovered from Amol Kale had eight names. Girish Karnad, a well-known playwright and activist from Karnataka was the first name, followed by Gauri Lankesh. The second list had 26 other names. 
While interrogating Ganesh Miskin – a member of Hindu extremist group Sri Rama Sena, who was arrested in July on the suspicion of being the person who rode the motorcycle pillion with Waghmare – the SIT has reportedly learnt that his recruiter, Amol Kale – the former convener of HJS – is the killer of Kannada scholar and rationalist, M. M. Kalburgi. As per a Kannada newsreport, Miskin has revealed that it was Kale who shot dead Kalburgi at the doorstep of his house three years ago. SIT has also reportedly learnt that Kale was ordered to carry out Kalburgi’s assassination by a person named ‘Kaka’ alias Shankar Narayan, who has died six months ago. It was Narayan’s right hand man – associated with one of the Hindutva outfits in Maharashtra such as Sanathan Sanstha or HJS – who drew the plans for Gauri Lankesh’s assassination.

Based on the information given by the SIT, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Maharashtra raided the house of Vaibhav Raut on August 10, 2018, an SS sympathiser and a member of Hindu Govansh Raksha Samiti, and recovered at least eight country-made bombs, along with other explosives and literature of the SS. 

Confessions of recently arrested Rajesh Bangera in the case of Lankesh shows that the investigations in all the four cases must be carried out together, and not independently. Bangera has confessed to have trained Rudra Patil, Akolkar, Pawar, Tawade in using arms. He has further informed the SIT that he had joined a Maharashtra-based organisation in 1997, and its chief had made it compulsory for its members to learn to use arms. Even though he left the organisation in 2009, he stayed in touch with the organisation and that is how he was approached by Amol Kale. Kale and Amit Degwekar had approached him in 2011 to train a few young boys.

Bangera’s confession yet again highlights the need to investigate all the four cases together. The SIT investigation reports in the case of Gauri Lankesh are revealing the fact that all the accused and arrested so far are connected in some way or the other.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

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As rationalists, we are long used to attacks from religious fundamentalists of all tinges, trades and callings! We were labelled as anti-Christians when we opposed the evangelical healers; anti-Muslims when we criticised people like Zakir Naik; and now the Hindutva brigade has set their evil eyes upon us. Be it the vicious trolling on web sites, physical attacks or murders,  there seems to be a diabolic method in this campaign of hate and contempt! For several years now, I have been on the alleged ‘hit list’ of such forces. Once I was joking with K.S.Bhagwan, who was allegedly on top of their hit list, that they would have to get him and five others before they could come for me since I was ranked 7 in the hit list. Bhagwan retorted and asked how I could be so sure that these people were noble enough to even follow the list! This was years ago,  the hate campaigns have only become more and more vicious ever since. Last month, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the Gauri Lankesh murder investigation submitted a list of people for whom security has to be provided and I was among the top four.

While I do not regret anything that I have said or not said, I do feel that some incidents need to be narrated. Last year, when I was on a jatha from Mangalore to North Karnataka, I got a call from a leading Kannada asking me to come to their studio for a panel discussion. I told them that I was not in Mangalore, so they arranged for my broadcast from Shivamogga, where I was to halt for the night. When the show started, the anchor grandly announced that he had decided to go on air despite it being a Sunday, due to a major incident needed to be discussed.I was wondering what this catastrophe could be,  when the anchor said that the then Chief minister Siddharamiaha had gone to the Dharmasthala Manjunatha temple after eating fish. While the topic for the panel discussion was bizarre in itself,  I soon realised that it was a ploy to get to me since the show started with me instead of Siddharamiaha! The anchor asked me to be grateful to the Hindus for letting me stay in India despite  being an atheist. I asked who made him the spokesman of the Hindu community and whether it was a self-appointed, elected post or had he been given the GPA by the Hindu community. I also reminded him that I was a citizen of India— a secular nation which came into existence through a constitution— and not a Hindu rashtra, to which he asked me to go to Saudi Arabia and proclaim that I am an atheist.  I asked him to go there instead and do a puja, which effectively shut him up. While this is just an example of the various discriminatory exchanges that we face every day, it reflects on the attitudes of those who feel that one’s freedom of expression should be guided by their sentiments.

This is also something that we we are increasingly seeing in the media as well. While there are extremists in other religions as well, it is the Hindutva brigade of the so-called majority religion, which is becoming a greater threat. They seem to have the patronage of the state since the ruling dispensation at the center tacitly encourages them and turns a blind eye to the menace they create.  There are people who demand shariat laws, there are Khap panchayats encouraged by local elected representatives who are seen as vote banks. 

At the receiving end of these threats however, are people like us who profess rational thinking and vocal expression. Many raised voices might have been silenced, but those that aren’t, are still fighting the battle. SIT’s recent investigations into the Gauri Lankesh murder unravelled a very chilling plot. The conspirators had amassed funds to eliminate the voices of reason and there was a long list of people who had been marked. The same team had also written to the Home department demanding enhanced security for me, Girish Karnad, K.S.Bhagwan, and Veerabhadra Chennamalla Swami of the Nidumamidi math.  Strangely enough, all four of us are Hindus going by their own definition of the same! These forces believe that we have been the most effective in countering their vicious propaganda of lies and manipulations; therefore they try to discredit us through their brazen lies and label us as naxalites and foreign funded. A so called Yogi Ashwini made the same allegation in a panel discussion that was held a few days ago. All this to suppress the voices of reason, not to forget their good old habit of tampering photographs and videos to spread lies.

Hundreds of lives have been lost courtesy to such propagandas. Almost thirty people died last month because of rumours of child lifting spread through various social media platforms. As the next general elections are approaching, the voices are becoming shriller, the propaganda more vicious, and efforts more concerted. The ruling party’s hollow promises are being called out and facing failures on all fronts, they seem to be getting more and more desperate. So, now the card to be played seems to be that of Hinduism in danger. Even though there are credible voices of reason which effectively counters their false propaganda and expose their lies within their own community, they are trying to silence us. Since threats do not work, they are now resorting to permanently silence these voices through a dedicated group of trained murderers.

While they might have succeeded in silencing some of the voices, there is no dearth of activists who have refused to be cowed down and will fight against these forces to make sure that the voices of reason are heard. 

Narendra Nayak is a notable rationalist from Mangalore. He is the president of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations, and the founder-secretary of the Dakshina Kannada Rationalist Association. He tours the country conducting workshops to promote scientific temper and showing people how to debunk godmen and frauds.

First Published on Indian Cultural Forum

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Image: PTI
                                                            
The celebrated German playwright, poet and fierce anti-Nazi critic Bertolt Brecht once wrote:
“in the dark times,
will there also be singing?
yes, there will also be singing
about the dark times”.
 
Apt words, as we remember the celebrated journalist and human rights defender Gauri Lankesh, who was brutally gunned down exactly a week ago on the night of September 5^th in Bengaluru. Her murder has resulted in an unprecedented outrage of anger, shock and sadness from concerned citizens all over the world over.
 Gauri represented the very best of a free and fearless India, which respects the rights of her citizens, which celebrates pluralism and above all, defends the highest values of democracy! Gauri had the courage to take on the Sangh Parivar and all communal-minded people, she abhorred the caste system, she fought for the emancipation of women, she took up cudgels for the poor and marginalized and she was a relentless crusader for the freedom of speech and expression! She spared none, when injustice was the issue!

The bullets of the assassins that fateful night carried some clear messages: that it is they who ‘apparently’ control the destiny of the nation; that the likes of Gauri, had no place in their scheme of things, that they brook no dissent, that they are cloaked with immunity and can obviously get away with murder.  .

The murder of Gauri provides other insights into her assassins and the powers behind them too; these include: 
 

• They are spineless cowards; masked in anonymity,  they gunned down an unarmed defenseless woman
• They are violent; they have the muscle, the money and the clout to do away with violently anyone who does not subscribe to their fascist agenda. ‘Ahimsa’ obviously  means nothing to them 
• They lack the intelligence, the conviction and the staying power to debate or write objectively on critical issues plaguing the country and our people today. Gauri consistently wrote and spoke about these issues.
• They are afraid of the Truth; when courageous and upright journalists like Gauri expose their evil deeds and other nefarious activities, they are just unable to accept them, leave alone swallow the facts 
• They are adept in defocusing and divisiveness; Gauri’s estranged brother conveniently speaks about ‘Naxalite’ involvement. Some TV channels with their stooge anchors vomit the same possibility The Central government in a manipulative manner asks the state government as to why Gauri was  not given protection from the Naxalites! 
• They are good in sweeping other issues under the carpet. Gauri’s chilling murder is naturally headlines; but at the same time other major issues are quickly turned from the pages of people’s memories like the deaths of children in UP, the official report of the fiasco of demonetization, the institutionalization of corruption, the thousands affected by floods in several parts of the country and the official inability and apathy to respond to those affected, the crimes of ‘godmen’ against women like the Dera Chief and Asaram Bapu, the mob lynching of people; the list is endless.
• They do not care about the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution of India; for them, journalists who speak truth to power, human rights defenders, right to information activists and for that matter, any one from civil society who dissents, is termed as ‘anti-national’; and needs to be done away with. The trolling and the venom spewed on Gauri in social media by the ‘bhakts’ of PM Modi is a clear indication that  freedom of speech and expression is not something that they cherish. Gauri believed in the Constitution and passionately defended the rights of citizens until the very end!

The above are just some ways fascist forces in India operate today. There is no denying the fact that the cold-blooded, pre-mediated murder of Gauri has political patronage at the highest level. All this has been witnessed before, in the Gujarat Carnage of 2002; the ‘fake encounters’ which followed; in the gruesome killings of rationalists and intellectuals like Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi; in the murders of several other journalists, human rights and RTI activists all over the country.

That there is an overwhelming outrage over Gauri’s murder from several sections of society, speaks volumes that all is still not lost for the country. Gauri’s death has brought together women and men from all walks of life in a show of strength and unity against the emerging fascist forces. Rallies, demonstrations and public meetings have been held in practically every major city and town. Her murder has found significant space in some of the most respected newspapers and magazines in India and abroad. On September 12^th, more than 50,000 people gathered in Bangalore in a rally to protest the killing of Gauri.Shouts of “Gauri Lankesh amar rahe!”(Long Live Gauri!) rent the air.

This visible and vocal unity must continue. Many people are convinced that though they ‘killed’ her, Gauri’s spirit will never die! The greatest tribute one can then pay to this courageous woman is to ensure that the rich legacy she has left behind will never die; that all will be done to protect the democratic and pluralistic fabric of our great country! Above all, to be reminded of the words of Pastor Martin Niemoller, who during the Nazi Regime wrote:       
                                                                                 
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out— 
because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— 
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me”. 
 
LONG LIVE GAURI!!!!
                                                                                              
(Fr. Cedric Prakash sj is a human rights activist. Contact:cedricprakash@gmail.com)
 
 

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wo years ago, on this day, Govind Pansare, was shot when he was returning after a morning walk with his wife in Kolhapur in the morning. He died four days later, on 20th February, 2013. He was vocal in his support for the rationalist, Narendra  Dabholkar, and, who was killed a year and a half earlier, on 20th August, 2013. On that same day, Pansare had come to pay his final respects. The next day he told the Times of India that the attack was not personal, but ideological. Dabholkar, founder of the Maharastra Andhashraddha Nirman Samiti (Maharashtra Blind Faith Eradication Committee), and Pansare, a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI), were both rationalists targeted for their beliefs. A year later, M.M. Kalburgi, would also be killed in Dharwad.After Dabholkar's murder, Avinash Patil, his long time associate, was elected to carry the activities of MANS forward. Patil, currently in Delhi, explains the current status of the investigations in an interview with the Indian Cultural Forum.

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Writers, artistes and activists from different parts of the country came together in Dharwad for a protest march on August 30th to mark the passing of a year since the assassination of Dr M.M. Kalburgi. The protesters set a deadline of one month for the Karnataka government to arrest the persons involved in the assassination.

Expressing solidarity with the family members of slain thinkers and activists Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar, secularists attending the public meeting condemned the Karnataka government’s slow investigation of the case. They also threatened to gherao the upcoming assembly session to be held in Belagavi in November.

In his keynote address, linguistic scholar Ganesh Devy said the event was an answer to the fascist forces taking over the nation that are intolerant to different kinds of thought. Kannada critic Narahalli Balasubrahmanyam termed the convention a historic event.

A rally was taken out from residence of slain scholar Dr M. M. Kalburgi in Kalyan Nagar, Dharwad on Tuesday, in which over 5,000 students and commoners of Karnataka were present.

Filmmaker Anjum Rajabali said the three martyrs continued to remind us of the significance of liberalism and freedom of expression, which were under threat in the current atmosphere. "It is the right time for us to become capable of respecting freedom of expression. We have also gathered here to protect our secularism. Let the rule of law prevail in the nation," he added.

Prof Rajendra Chenni, a writer from Karnataka, said freedom of expression stood threatened in many countries of the world. "Fascist forces are grabbing the rights of farmers, labourers, and selling them to corporate interests. If we don't raise our voices against this trend, we will all become slaves of one thought and religion."

He asserted that Kalburgi had revived truth by capturing facts in his scholarly output of about 4,000 pages in Kannada. "His researches always concentrated on truth and life. However, the government is insulting the scholar by delaying the investigation into his death. It does not have the moral courage to show its face to the martyrs' family members. Having waited one full year, we have lost faith in the government, and are dispirited by its readymade assurances," he lamented.

Linguistic scholar Ganesh Devy and Punjabi writer Atmajit Singh meet Umadevi, widow of slain scholar Dr M. M. Kalburgi on his first death anniversary on Tuesday in Dharwad.

Prof Chandrashekhar Patil, who was a classmate and colleague of Kalburgi's, said Kalburgi, Pansare and Dabholkar were synonymous with a revolution. "Today’s convention is not only about offering condolences, it is a platform of pain, protest. The government should crack the mystery of the murder at the earliest. There is an opinion that communal forces have been a hurdle in expediting the investigation. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should clarify… whether his government has also bowed before fascism," he demanded.

Megha Pansare, daughter-in-law of Govind Pansare, demanded that the conspirators be brought before the people to maintain their faith in the administration. "Though governments have mechanisms like the CBI and CID, they are not doing effective work in cracking these assassination cases. At the other end, different thoughts are being suppressed and silenced using weapons."

Mukta Dabholkar, daughter of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, demanded to know how Kalburgi was killed even though his residence was located in a posh area of Dharwad, right in the heart of the town. Calling him an asset to the nation, she blamed the Congress- and BJP-led governments for their failure to protect scholars and intellectuals. Goan writer Damodar Manjo echoed her words, adding, however, that he was glad to see fellow Indians fighting against fascists now targeting dalits in Gujarat and other states.

Kalburgi's son Srivijaya said the wounds created after his father's assassination were still fresh. He recounted, "My father used to tell us to work for society and humanity. He always fought for social equality and a healthy society. I feel that it is those who murdered him who are the anti-nationals. They killed an aged person; they are not brave, but cowardly." He concluded that even after their death, Kalburgi, Pansare and Dabholkar were still alive.

Aravind Malagatti, a dalit writer from Karnataka, questioned the state and central governments over the rise of moral policing and vigilante justice. He reminded the gathering of the need for a Gandhi nation, even as fascists attempt to convert India into a Godse nation. Claiming that progressive thinkers were the real patriots, Malagatti suggested that in order to discover the reality of India, the prime minister "should come face to face in a discussion with commoners rather than addressing citizens through his Mann Ki Baat show on the radio." Several speakers questioned the social developments that have led to increasing attacks on secular and rational thought.

Veteran Kannada writer Guruling Kapse noted that Basavanna, a social reformer of the 12th century, and Kalburgi were both from the Vijayapura district of Karnataka. "As a scholar, Kalburgi spread Basavanna’s teachings and revived them with his truth based research," he remarked. Noted scholar of Bhagat Singh's writings Prof Chaman Lal likened Kalburgi’s murder to the murder of the Vachanas ordered by the Sharanas of the 12th century, and placed his work in the tradition of thinkers like Guru Nanak, Kabir and Akkamahadevi.

Marathi writer Anand Karandikar observed that "assassinations of anti-brahminical and anti-caste movement leaders have been common in India." In the same vein, activist K. Neela from the Janwadi Mahila Sangathan, related the struggle against authoritarianism to the growing dalit movement in Gujarat as well as farmers' rights movements in other parts of the country.

Others in attendance included Noor Sridhar, Marathi writer Kumar Ketkar, veteran playwright Siddhaling Pattanseti, senior journalists Siddharth Vardarajan and Antara Dev Sen, economist Jaya Mehta, CPI leader Siddanagouda Patil, and TUCI state president R. Manasayya. Attendees voiced the urgent need to recast public discourse so as to protect India's multi-cultural, multi-linguistic heritage, and called attention to the repressive diktats around food, religion and thought issued during the Modi regime which have led to several incidents of mob violence. Several speakers attested that the struggle would continue until an end was put to atrocities committed on the basis of cultural and ideological differences.
 

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Courtesy: indianculturalforum.in
 

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