Fear factor rises among writers and activists who remain defiant

Two days after the murder of Gauri Lankesh, her friend and among her staunchest supporters, Kannada writer and progressive activist Yogesh Master observed a man stop his car, take a picture and then speed away. “Later that night [on Thursday], a man on a bike followed me suspiciously for some time. I have lived in fear for some time now but it is definitely heightened after Gauri was shot,” says Mr. Yogesh.

After the murder of scholar M.M. Kalburgi in 2015, a gunman was assigned to him (incidentally, at the insistence of Lankesh). Now, police protection is back.

Mr. Yogesh is among 18 writers, rationalists and activists who have been provided mandatory police protection — a clear indication of the prevailing threat perception against the ‘progressive’ forces.

The writer is, however, no stranger to controversy, threats and assault, which began with the publication of his book Dundhi in 2013. The book “offended” right-wing groups for its portrayal of Ganesha and he was briefly arrested for insulting religious beliefs. Protests have followed him since, and earlier in March this year, during a programme commemorating Lankesh’s father in Davangere, a group of men smeared his face with black oil.

While he says his activism has not been blunted, his reputation as a “controversial” writer has come at a cost. Theatre and writing workshops that were his livelihood have dried up over the past two years.

“People have stopped inviting me as I am considered too risky. Organisers have to inform the police, and protection has to be provided in case of protests. Who would want such a headache,” he asked.

Up the hitlist

In distant Mangaluru, the same thread of threats and slain friends bind Yogesh to rationalist Narendra Nayak, who now has two bodyguards working in shifts. “I was number 7 in one of the so-called hitlists, but now I guess I have been promoted one spot,” said the feisty activist with characteristic black humour.

In over three-decades of anti-superstition and myth busting, the 66-year-old president of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations has notched up an impressive list of enemies including Hindutva organisations, maths and religious institutions.

In 2016, he filed a police complaint after he received death threats online; earlier this year, he received additional police protection after he complained of two men following him.

Despite growing pressure from family and visible signs of threats, the rationalist says he knows no other way but to fight till the end. “After Gauri’s death, I have been getting calls asking me to shift abroad temporarily. But why should I run away when there is much wrong to fix in my society here?” said Mr. Nayak.

Increased vigilance

Above Mr. Nayak on the same “hitlist” is K.S. Bhagawan, a writer who has courted controversy for over three decades, but came under intense attack after his speech in 2015 reportedly denigrated Hindu texts. After Professor Kalburgi’s death, online posts proclaimed the Mysuru-based writer as the next target. Two gunmen now accompany him on all his trips and after Lankesh’s murder, two more check on him every few hours.

While the prevailing atmosphere continues to be tense and polarised, Mr. Bhagawan remained optimistic about their role in the counter-narrative. “My books are selling well now, and I am getting more programme invitations. There is still a sizeable section, particularly youth, who want new ideas supported by scientific evidence,” he said.

In Southern Maharasthra, the cloud of fear that set after the murder of rationalist Narendra Dabolkar in 2013 and Govind Pansare in 2015 is yet to lift.

Bharat Patankar, a 68-year-old activist from the leftist Shramik Mukti Dal which works with farmers in Maharashtra, knows that no threat can be ignored. While he has refused police protection, continued threats have seen one gunman posted at his side.

His work on eliminating caste and uniting oppressed groups like Muslims and Dalits, he says, has angered the Hindu extremist organisation Sanatan Sanstha, whose members were arrested for the murders of the two rationalists. On the day of Mr. Pansare’s murder, a copy of the Sanatan Prabhat, the Sanstha’s mouthpiece, landed at Mr. Patankar’s house. “Only my name and name of village was written. Wasn’t it a clear threat,” he asked.

(Inputs from Alok Deshpande in Maharashtra and K.C. Deepika in Bengaluru)