Why hasn't Kalburgi case been cracked, thinkers ask Parameshwara

BENGALURU: Why has Kannada scholar M M Kalburgi's murder case not been solved till now?
This point-blank poser to home minister G Parameshwara by 30 progressive thinkers and litterateurs on Tuesday put the spotlight back on the death of Kalburgi, who was gunned down at his Dharwad residence by two persons on August 30, 2015. A former vice-chancellor of Kannada University at Hampi, Kalburgi was known for questioning religious dogmas.
Though the probe was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), there has been no breakthrough so far.It was in this backdrop that several rationalists recently took out a procession in Dharwad to protest against the failure of the CID in identifying the assailants.
During Tuesday's interaction with Parameshwara, the progressive thinkers asked, "Is there no room for liberal thinkers under the Congress government's rule? Is it wrong to have pro-people opinions? By failing to identify Kalburgi's killers so far, what message is the government sending to fellow progressive thinkers? How can the government ensure those fighting against superstitions and blind beliefs are safe?"
Massive police team at work
Parameshwara told the rationalists the CID has been making serious efforts to nab the killers. "Perhaps, it is the first time in CID's history that so many officials have been deployed to solve a single murder case - 27 officers, two superintendents of police, one inspector general of police, one additional director general of police and 30 technical staff are working on it," he said. Though Parameshwara didn't announce any deadline for closure of the case, he reportedly told the rationalists efforts will be made to arrest the assailants by November-end.
He said the CID was sharing information with the CBI following striking similarities in the murders of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare in Maharashtra. The CID team will also interrogate Virendra Tawade, who has been arrested in connection with Dabholkar's murder.
No ordinary case
We have ascertained the credentials of 27,000 students who had descended on Dharwad on the day Kalburgi was killed. We have cross-checked lakhs of telephone calls made in Dharwad on that day, through the tower-dump technique of collecting mobile data. But we have not made any major headway. This is no ordinary murder. It is well-planned and properly executed. It has happened in the backdrop of philosophical differences
G Parameshwara, home minister