ICC Note:

The freedom of religion and expression are under assault in India and across South Asia as religious fundamentalism continues to take hold in the region. In India, anyone found publicly disagreeing with Hindu nationalism, whether Christians or secular thinkers, can be targeted by Hindu radicals. In the last three years, several prominent secular writers have been murdered by Hindu radicals. Will India and the rest of South Asia continue to descend into religious fundamentalism? 

9/29/2015 India (La Crosse Tribune) – At age 78, writer M.M. Kalburgi remained hard at work at his home in southern India. He was putting the final touches on a lengthy introduction to a volume of ancient Kannada-language verse, which was due to be translated into Mandarin, Japanese, French and Spanish.

But one morning late last month, two young men knocked at his door and introduced themselves to his wife as his students. Without warning, they shot Kalburgi twice in the forehead and fled on a motorbike.

Kalburgi, who vocally opposed the Hindu practice of idol worship, is the latest secular thinker to be assassinated in South Asia. His slaying late last month raises questions about freedom of expression and highlights the growing might of religious fundamentalists across the region.

Besides India, where several prominent secular figures have been killed in the last three years, Muslim-majority Bangladesh has seen a string of deadly attacks on atheist writers, including a U.S.-based blogger, Avijit Roy, who was hacked to death outside a book festival in the capital in February. Christians and members of other religious minorities have long been under threat from Islamist militant groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In Hindu-majority India, a secular democracy, liberal activists and writers have come under increasing pressure. For months, Hindu extremist critics had thrown stones at Kalburgi’s home in the southern state of Karnataka and disrupted his speeches. Three years ago, the naked body of Linganna Satyampete, editor of a weekly publication that featured Kalburgi’s writings, was found in a storm drain.

Hours after Kalburgi was killed, Bhuvith Shetty, a member of the Hindu militant group Bajrang Dal, tweeted in celebration: “Mock Hinduism and die a dog’s death. And dear K.S. Bhagwan you are next.”

Bhagwan, a retired university professor in Karnataka, has criticized the Bhagavad Gita, Hinduism’s holy book, for promoting the hierarchical caste system and argued that Ram, a Hindu deity, was polygamous. He received threats, prompting local authorities to increase security at his home.

In many cases, police intervention comes too late, if at all. The Bajrang Dal activist who threatened Bhagwan on Twitter was produced in court the next day and released on bail.

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