Rationalist Nayak takes up the case of Vinayak Baliga’s murderThe federation of Indian Rationalist Associations has decided to take up the fight against the murder of Mangaluru-based RTI activist Vinayak Baliga.Last Monday, two bike-borne assailants attacked the 52-year-old with lethal weapons while he was on his way to a temple.The victim was rushed to a private hospital where he was declared dead. Four days have passed, but the police are yet to get any lead in the murder. According to Mangaluru police, they have formed three teams to crack the case. Police sources say it is suspected that the murder could be an act of revenge for his RTI activism.Officials investigating the case say the recent cases Baliga had taken up are being closely examined to zero-in on the accused.Fearing the case may go the Kalburgi way, Narendra Nayak, president of the federation, has decided to take up the case. Rationalist MM Kalburgi, who spoke against idolatry in Hinduism, was shot dead in August 2015 at his residence in Dharwad district by two unidentified men. There has been no headway in the case.Speaking to Mirror, Nayak said, “It looks like the murder was carried out by a professional gang. It left Baliga’s aged parents and unmarried sisters shaken and helpless. He had made many enemies.”Referring to Baliga, he said, he had filed many cases against vested interests, lobbies and religious groups. A devotee of Venkataramana, he would start his daily routine with a visit to the temple.Nayak said, “He may have probably spotted some violation during his morning walk which must have angered him. For instance, there is a school complex in the area which would cause traffic blocks and the road in the residential locality was made one-way at the behest of the owners of this educational complex. Again, on the same road is a huge complex of hundreds of flats, which have no sewage treatment plants.I saw sewage leaking on its premises and flowing into the stormwater drains on Thursday around 11am. Since he had a keen eye for law violations, it could be anything.”Nayak said Baliga had filed a number of complaints and one of them came up for hearing on Thursday at the office of the corporation commissioner.He also filed a case against alleged irregularities at a temple on Car Street. In fact, he raised serious irregularities in the financial affairs of the temple. In the process, he took on an affluent and influential community. Two of his close friends, who were co-litigants, have refused to speak out about the issue. It appears that they are too scared to open up about the whole episode.Nayak said he is in the process of gathering documents to build a strong case. He said it’s also learnt that Baliga had filed a public interest litigation against the Mangalore City Corporation against the violation of laws by a number of influential builders.It has also been gathered that the High Court had directed the City Corporation to investigate and file a report in 30 days.“We are waiting for the confirmation. One of his friends had informed me that Baliga had given documents to the press, but none had taken it up,” he said.Baliga had always been fearless, but his family members were always worried about his safety. His 85-year-old father is bedridden while his mother too is ailing.“All his files have been taken away by the police. Baliga never used to update his family about the activism he did. His family members still rue the day when he was unable to take his father to hospital because of the blockage of the main road by vehicles of the nearby school and the police made him take a diversion which was again blocked due to a wedding in the nearby hall. Following this incident, he had complained to the commissioner of police about making a one-way road at a residential locality at the behest of the owner of an education complex on it. He had probed further into the affair and found that part of it was an unauthorised construction. Many people told me that even the road in front of the school, a public property, is treated like a private property of the school,” Nayak said.Nayak said the city has turned a fiefdom for moral police brigade and gangsters belonging to communal outfits.“It was Baliga today, and who next is the question before all of us who dare to raise our voices against evils of the system. We are still sourcing information and once we get details of the cases, we will take up all the public interest cases he was pursuing,” said Nayak.Meanwhile, the National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI) has urged chief minister Siddaramiah to ensure a thorough investigation into the murder.“The state must look into various cases of wrongdoing and corruption unearthed by Baliga and take stringent action against the guilty. Considering the increasing number of attacks on RTI activists in the country, the government must push for effective implementation of the Whistleblowers’ Protection Act,” said Nayak.