Bengaluru, Aug 31 (DHNS): Researchers and writers from the City gathered at the Town Hall and mourned the death of Kalburgi on Sunday evening.

Veteran writers Girish Karnad, Baraguru Ramachandrappa and K Marulasiddappa were among those present.

Karnad, who knew Kalburgi as a good friend, said that he was an open personality. “He would create controversies many a time. This was enough evidence to show he was fearless,” he said. Karnad said, “It is not part of Kannada culture to kill someone just because he has said something unpleasant or unacceptable to a section of the people.” The incident has instilled fear in the minds of writers and ideologists. Security has been beefed up near their residences.

Marulasiddappa said that a trend was emerging in the State. “Take for instance the incident in Mangaluru. A couple is not allowed to sit and talk together, people from different communities cannot even be friendly. They are attacked if anything of that sort happens. Such is the present situation. We should stand united and express our thoughts without fear,” he said.

Social media is a source of communal disharmony, Marulasiddappa said. “People take to Facebook to express their religious sentiments. The youth get carried away by these and it leads to a lot of disharmony,” he said. Prof B K Chandrashekar urged the government to keep tabs on what is being posted about writers on various blogs.

Ramachandrappa said that it was time that writers and ideologists kept aside their individual differences and formed an organisation. “Even if there are reasons other that ideological differences for Kalburgi’s killing, it is not acceptable,” he said.