Kin of Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi seek justice

The kin of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi, rationalists and intellectuals whose killings have fuelled allegations of growing intolerance in the country, today demanded punishment for those that had carried out attacks against the trio.

“Dr Dabholkar, Pansare and Prof Kalburgi’s family members have all come together to ask for justice for the violence.

“With the hope that people who killed them should be punished, we are fighting this fight,” Megha 

Pansare, daughter -in-law of Pansare said here at a “resistance” (Pratirodh) meet organised by writers, 

artists, thinkers and rationalists.

While one person has been arrested in connection with Pansare’s killing, inquiries are still on with respect 

to the murders of Kalburgi and Dabholkar.

“We all will go to high court.. There should be a court- monitored investigation,” Megha said.

“There should be complete investigation of the person who has been arrested in Govind Pansare’s murder. The organisation has been named in this regard and the people with the particular ideology who have been behind this should be investigated,” she added.

Megha also released the book, ‘The Republic of Reason, Words They Could Not Kill’, a compilation of selected English translations of the trio’s writings brought out by Sahmat.

“Through this book, I think some of their thinkings will become accessible to people beyond the Kannada and Marathi- speaking societies. People will read them and know about their writings and the violence they had to face. They used to create awareness and enlightenment in society about values like freedom of expression, democracy,” she said.