Karnataka forms SIT to probe anonymous threat letters received by Kannada writers

A delegation led by Dr Marulasiddappa told CM Siddaramaiah that ‘if such threats are not taken seriously, the situation faced by Gauri Lankesh and M M Kalaburagi can arise again’

By: Express News Service

Bengaluru | August 24, 2023 07:20 PM IST

2 min read

Bhoopathi told the chief minister that the writers had received around 15 letters, three of them after May, when the Congress assumed power in the state. (File)

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The Karnataka police on Thursday formed a special investigation team to investigate the anonymous threat letters received by prominent Kannada writers, a day after a delegation of writers met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking a thorough inquiry into the threats.

During the meeting with Siddaramaiah on Wednesday, Dr Marulasiddappa, who led the delegation, said the threats received over the past year had forced the writers to live in fear and anxiety. “If such threats are not taken seriously, the situation faced by Gauri Lankesh and M M Kalaburagi can arise again,” he said.

Lankesh, an activist and journalist, and Kalaburagi, a prominent scholar, were assassinated in September 2017 and August 2015 respectively.

The SIT will investigate seven cases filed on complaints lodged by the writers in 2022 and 2023 in various districts. These are the one filed by Kum Veerabhadrappa at the Kottur police station in Vijayanagar, one case of B L Venu filed at the Chitradurga Layout station, two cases filed by Banjagere Jayaprakash at the Harohalli police station in Ramanagar, one filed by B T Lalita Naik at the Sanjaynagar police station in Bengaluru Urban and two cases by Vasundhara Bhoopathi at the Basaveshwara Nagar Police station in the same district.

Bhoopathi told the chief minister that the writers had received around 15 letters, three of them after May, when the Congress assumed power in the state.

The order to form the SIT was issued by Director-General and Inspector General of Police Alok Mohan. The SIT will consist of officials from the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru City Police. An officer of the assistant commissioner of police rank will be the investigating officer for the seven cases. The joint commissioner of police (crime) and the deputy commissioner of police (crime) have been directed to monitor the case on a daily basis.

Home Minister G Parameshwara had said writers facing threats would be offered police protection.

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Karnataka SIT