Bengaluru: Following the murder of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, 25 writers, rationalists and progressive thinkers in Karnataka have been given police protection on the advice of the intelligence department.
The literary figures include Girish Karnad, Baragur Ramachandrappa, Yogesh Master, K S Bhagwan, Patil Putappa, Banjagere Jayaprakash, Nataraj Huliyar Chennaveera Kanavi, and Chandrashekhar Patil.
Some strong proponents of a separate religion tag for Lingayats, such as former bureaucrat SM Jamdar, have also been provided security, officials said.
The move to provide security was taken after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told the police last week to ensure the protection of literary figures advocating free speech, and especially those who openly talk about matter of religion and rituals in the country.
An official said that the security has been provided after a thorough threat perception exercise. He said that those who have been categorised as low risk will be given a gunman round the clock, and those categorised as high risk will be given “enhanced security.”
The decision to provide security comes a day after union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad criticized the Karnataka government for Lankesh’s murder.
Lankesh was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru on Tuesday night by unidentified men, creating a furore across the country. She was an outspoken critic of Hindutva politics. No arrests in the case have been made so far.
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