Karnataka man arrested for writing about 100 life-threatening letters to progressive writers, ministers

The probe into the case of life-threatening letters to progressive writers and actors has revealed that accused Shivaji Rao Jadhav was a school dropout and studied only till eighth standard. During the interrogation, he confessed to writing 100 such letters regarding which police are grilling him.

The probe had also revealed that the accused was the co-convenor of the Hindu Jagaran Vedike and also wrote the letter threatening three Karnataka ministers, a religious seer and a bunch of progressive writers.   

Shivaji Rao Jadhav, a resident of EWS Colony in Davanagere City, was arrested for sending threatening letters to more than 15 progressive Kannada authors and thinkers on Saturday, 30 September. Jadhav was arrested in the district by sleuths of the City Central Crime Branch (CCB).

The police suspect that the accused is brainwashed and supported by a group of people and are trying to unearth his connections in this regard. The accused used to travel to different districts and posted life-threatening letters to give the police the slip. He had gone to Shivamogga, Chitradurga, Haveri and other districts just to post letters.

The accused had been writing the threat letters for the past two years, forcing the targeted authors to meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on multiple occasions and demand swift action.

In the letters, Jadhav threatened the victims, including K. Veerabhadrappa, B.L. Venu, Banjagere Jayaprakash, B.T. Lalita Naik, Vasundhara Bhupathi, for going against Hindutva, saying that they should count their last days.

The case was handed over to the Special Wing CCB and experts of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) found that all letters were written by the same person but posted from different districts and taluks.

As a result of the letters, state Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara directed the police to provide suitable security to the authors.

While confessing to his crime, Jadhav claimed that he threatened the authors and thinkers due to their anti-Hindu stand.

The police produced him before the court which sent him to 10 days of custody for interrogation. The development was taken seriously after the murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh and activist-writer Prof. M.M. Kalburgi in Karnataka.

The accused had confessed to writing a life-threatening letter to Minister for Health Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister for RDPR, IT and BT Priyank Kharge and Minister for PWD Satish Jarkiholi. The life-threatening letter was posted at the address of Nishkala Mantapa Ashram run by Nijagunananda Swamiji.

The letter also mentions the names of progressive thinkers S.G. Siddaramaiah, K. Marulasiddappa, Baraguru Ramachandrappa, Bhaskar Prasad, Prof. Bhagavan, Prof. Mahesh Chandra Guru, B.T. Lalita Nayak, Dwarakanath, Devanuru Mahadeva, B.L. Venu, actors and activists Prakash Raj and Chetan Ahimsa.

The letter was received by the Ashram in Bailahongala in Belagavi district on 20 September. The life-threatening letter mentions that all who have been named, do have the courage to speak up about what is being done by communal Muslims. The letter also asked them will they raise their voice against anti-national activities.

The letter also makes mention of progressive religious seer Nijagunananda Swamiji, saying that he must think of the letter as a death warrant.

“The death will come to you in your own programme. I am not joking. You are a demon in the form of a human. You are a demon who abuses Hindu gods and goddesses. You are in the last stage of your life. There is no other way but to finish you off,” the letter said.

Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, reacting to the development stated, accused Shivaji Rao Jadhav had threatened me, two of my cabinet colleagues, a religious seer and authors through a letter. The police have arrested the accused for issuing life threats. These forces can’t prevent our voice for truth,” he stated.