Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Tuesday announced a Rs.5 lakh reward for clues on killers of Kannada writer and rationalist M.M. Kalburgi, who was shot dead on August 30 at Dharwad.
“We have decided to award Rs.5 lakh to whosoever gives clues leading to the arrest of Kalburgi’s assassins, though are confident our police will nab them soon,” Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters after meeting Kalburgi’s family here.
A former Hampi University vice-chancellor, the 77-year-old Kalburgi was shot dead by two unidentified people at his residence in Dharwad, about 430 km from here.
Though the district police formed eight teams to hunt down the alleged killers, the CID took over the probe and has been interrogating a number of people, including family members and relatives, to crack the case.
Kalburgi’s family members urged the chief minister to speed up the investigation into the murder case and track down the culprits at the earliest, as its over fortnight since the incident, which shocked the people across the state.
Family members of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, who were also killed in the neighbouring state of Maharashtra by unidentified assailants still at large, met Siddaramaiah with Kalburgi family and sought stringent punishment to those behind their death.
“I told the relatives that the investigation is underway and we are hopeful of getting the killers soon,” Siddaramaiah reiterated.
The chief minister also assured the family members of passing the anti-superstition bill in the state legislature after examining the Maharashtra anti-superstition bill.