Kalburgi assassination: Two years on, CID fails to catch culprits

News Network
August 30, 2017

Bengaluru, Aug 30: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe into the assassination of Kannada writer Prof M M Kalburgi seems to have hit a dead-end.

It has been two years since Prof Kalburgi was shot dead at his Kalyananagar house in Dharwad on August 30, 2015.

The lone satisfaction for the CID in the last two years is the ‘conclusion’ that the two assailants who shot dead rationalists Narendra Dabholkar (65) and Govind Pansare (84) in Maharashtra were involved in Prof Kalburgi’s killing too.

Despite Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s statement that the investigation is in final stage, the CID top brass is tight-lipped about the case.

“We are doing our best and will do our best to solve the case,” Director General of Police (CID), H C Kishore Chandra said.

He maintained that there was no delay in solving the case. “Neither there are any challenges nor is there any delay.” He was quick to add, “In fact, we were the first agency to establish the involvement of same men in the assassinations of Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi.”

Though the police suspect involvement of the same gang in all the three murders, officers lack evidences to establish their suspicion.

“Our biggest problem is lack of strong leads. We can only suspect, but can’t establish our suspicion with evidences,” pointed out a senior officer involved in the investigation.

“Kalburgi was killed over ideological, historical and religious issues. Unfortunately, there are no conclusive evidences to establish this,” he said.

The investigation carried out so far points fingers at two sects of Hinduism---one in Karnataka and the other in Maharashtra. Prof Kalburgi was opposed to a sect in Karnataka and exposed certain religious preachers.

He openly condemned preachers of Hinduism.

The two sects plotted the murder and executed the plan through contract killers, the police said.

Property dispute ruled out

Two other possible causes, property dispute and domestic issues, have been disproved by the police.

Even Prof Kalburgi’s close associates express similar views. They criticised the CID’s delay in questioning Dr Virendra Tawde and Samir Vishnu Gaikwad arrested by the CBI and the Special Investigation Team in Dabholkar and Pansare murder cases respectively. They allege that the state government is under pressure from religious leaders and hence Dr Tawde and Gaikwad have not been questioned so far despite the information that the they were involved in all the three murders.

“Religious leaders are involved in Prof Kalburgi’s killing. We are much worried about the delay in arresting the culprits,” Prof Chandrashekhar Patil, writer and Kalburgi’s close friend said.

Writer and former minister B T Lalitha Naik said, “Highly influential religious leaders seems to have plotted the assassination. The government is delaying the probe due to pressure. A CBI probe can alone take the case to logical end.”

Comments

khasai Khane
 - 
Wednesday, 30 Aug 2017

You have to wait 15 Years if the victim was a sanghi (like in case of Rapsit Baba) .. and if you are muslim/pro-muslim wait till eternity..! Congress or BJP or anybody else...!

Justice delayed is justice denied...

Abdullah
 - 
Wednesday, 30 Aug 2017

Shame on our Government and Police department.

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coastaldigest.com news network
June 27,2020

Bengaluru, June 27: In the wake of mounting covid-19 cases across Karnataka, the state government has decided to extend the night curfew hours and to re-impose Sunday lockdown. 

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa held an emergency meeting on Saturday with the state's top officials to discuss measures to further contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

During the meeting, it was decided that a state-wide lockdown will be imposed on each Sunday starting July 5. Only essential services and supplies will be allowed on Sundays.

Timings of the night curfew have also been revised to 8 PM - 5 AM from the earlier 9 PM - 5 AM. “We have decided to impose a curfew starting Monday, June 29, from 8 pm to 5 am every day. Right now, the curfew timing is 9 pm to 5 am, but it’ll be advanced by an hour to 8 pm,” said Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai

Commissioner of Bengaluru's civic body, BBMP has been directed to set up more wholesale vegetable markets to deter large crowds.

Meanwhile, government offices in Karnataka will open only five days a week and the weekend will be off for government employees.

It was also decided during the meeting on Saturday that a centralized bed-allocation system for Covid-19 patients will be taken up to ensure that each patient gets a bed without overwhelming the healthcare infrastructure.

Yediyurappa has also instructed officials to increase the number of ambulances for Covid-19 patients to 250 apart from arranging separate vehicles to carry mortal remains of victims. The police control room will aid officials in identifying the location and easing the movement of ambulances.

Information about nodal officers working for COVID management will be published. Joint Commissioners of 8 regions will be given additional responsibilities and KAS officers will be appointed to assist them.

The services of 180 ESI doctors appointed by the Labour Department will also be relied on by the state government. CM Yediyurappa has also asked officials to reserve wedding halls, hostels and other institutions in Bengaluru as COVID Care Centres.

Bengaluru Urban DC, on the other hand, was instructed to identify more places for the last rites of patients and also to form more teams for this purpose. 

The BBMP Commissioner has been told to notify reservation of 50 per cent beds in medical colleges and private hospitals.

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News Network
February 25,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 25: A smooth-talking ‘swamiji’ has come under police radar after a widow lodged a complaint stating he cheated her of over Rs 27 crore and three kgs of gold between 2016 and 2019.

The woman, Geetha of Ramamurthynagar, was staying with her three sons after her husband, a landlord, died in 2009. Her family owned several sites in Tavarekere and other parts of the city, apart from a farm near Bethamangala in Kolar district.

Geetha, who had got into property disputes with her relatives, said she was introduced to the accused, Nagaraj C of Bangarapet, who claimed to possess powers to ward off evil spirits, by one of her farm labourers. “I was assured that all my problems would be solved. He came to my house and claimed he had been sent by god and would find solutions to all my problems,” she stated.

Nagaraj allegedly pretended to be possessed by spirits and directed her to give him gold bars. Geetha ended up giving three kgs of gold in the process. Later, he began directing her to sell a few properties stating these were the root cause of her problems. “I sold many properties and pledged a few residential sites. He took Rs 22.5 crore that came from selling properties, apart from Rs 5 crore cash from my husband’s savings,” she stated.

She said Nagaraj took the money from her on the promise of buying alternative properties. “When I demanded he return all my money, he threatened to kill me and my kids using evil spirits,” she alleged.

Police have registered a case of cheating, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation under various IPC sections and Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017, against Nagaraj and others.

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coastaldigest.com news network
June 21,2020

Mangaluru, June 21: As many as 7 fresh cases of covid-19 were detected in coastal district of Dakshina Kannada today whereas neighbouring Udupi did not report any new case. 

The total confirmed covid cases in Dakshina Kannada today mounted to 425. Among them, 227 people have been already recovered and discharged. Today alone 26 were discharged. Currently there are 190 active cases in the district.

In Udupi there are only 102 cases are currently active among 1,063 detected covid-19 cases. So far 959 people have been discharged from hospital after fully recovering from the diseased. Today six patients were discharged.

Dakshina Kannada has so far witnessed death of 8 covid-19 patients. Among them 2 persons lost their lives due to non-covid reasons. Udupi has witnessed 2 covid related deaths so far.

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