Kannada writer Kumvee receives death threats from ‘Sahishnu Hindu’

Kannada’s lead writer, Kum. Veerabhadrappa (Kumvee), who recently spoke out against communal division and hatred in Karnataka at an event in Bengaluru, received a death threat via an anonymous two-page postal letter delivered to his home.

The letter threatens not only Kumvee, but 61 writers, artists and activists who recently signed an open letter to the Chief Minister expressing concern over rising communal tensions in Karnataka, and former Chief Ministers Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy who have criticized the BJP and Hindutva organisations. on the same problem.

The letter states that the 61 writers, Kumvee and the two former CMs have criticized Hindus and sided with Muslims, calling them ‘anti-nationals’, ‘traitors to their religion’ and asking them to ‘prepare for their death which may come in any form shortly.” The letter is signed “Sahishnu Hindu” (Tolerant Hindu). The envelope in which the letter arrived bears a seal of Bhadravati in Shivamogga district, Kumvee said. .

The writer did not file a complaint with the police. “When the Home Secretary himself tries to stir up communal tensions in Karnataka by making false statements, what credibility do the police have for me to file a complaint,” Kumvee said. The Hindu.

He was heavily criticized by Kannada news television for stoking tension in Karnataka and targeting writers like him who opposed it. “If anyone is responsible for the death of MM Kalburgi, it is the Kannada television media, which has waged a provocative and factually incorrect campaign against him. Similarly, writers who signed a recent open letter to the Chief Minister, who spoke at an event in Bengaluru, have been continuously targeted for days on Kannada news channels, following which I have now received a threatening letter,” he said. . He added that there was no question of him stepping back or remaining silent as the social fabric of Karnataka is being torn apart.