For the past two years, noted Mangaluru-based rationalist Narendra Nayak had been at the forefront of the movement seeking justice over the 2016 murder of Vinayak Baliga, a critic of hardline Hindutva.
This, coupled with his endeavour against religious extremism and superstitions, has made him the target of fringe groups. Now, another suspicious activity has alerted him.
On Tuesday, 12 June, nine months after the murder of Gauri Lankesh, who was also a vocal critic of the Hindu right-wing, a suspicious man arrived at his doorstep when he was out of station.
A stranger came and made inquiries. Then, when the watchman questioned him, he gave evasive answers. When my wife’s security guard wanted to bring him in, he ran away.Narendra Nayak to The News Minute
Since his wife Asha, (a noted advocate) also faces a life threat, the security person has been asked to check the identity card of every visitor.
The CCTV footage of the incident made him suspicious and approach the police on Thursday.
I was out of station and yesterday I filed a complaint with the police saying that an incident like this should be investigated as first of all, a stranger comes, makes inquiries and then he runs away.Narendra Nayak to The News Minute
“Because they are so many incidents happening, I have every reason to believe that there is something fishy. That is why I have complained to the police and they will investigate if the person involved has any links,” Nayak added.
Past Threats
Nayak had first approached the police in 2016 when he was threatened by a Facebook user Shashank Shenoy on 9 May, for his protests over Baliga’s murder.
Following that, in March 2017, he alleged that two motorcycle-borne men had attempted to kill him by making him alight from his car. He said the men had lied to him about a tyre leak on the pretext of making him get out of the car.
The Special Investigating Team probing Lankesh’s death has claimed that the alleged murderers were also keen on killing like-minded critics of hardline Hindutva like Girish Karnad, Chandrashekhar Patil, KS Bhagvan, Bargur Ramachandrappa and BT Lalita Nayak.
Prior to Lankesh’s death, rationalist MM Kalburgi, former vice-chancellor of Kannada University was killed at his doorstep in Dharwad in August 2015.
(This article has been published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)
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