Rama Sene leader withdraws his threat

Dharwad/Raichur, Sep 21 (DHNS): Noted critic Giraddi Govindaraj and poet Channaveera Kanavi clarified here on Sunday that it was not proper to mention the name of Srirama Sene in the memorandum submitted to the deputy commissioner, during a protest held in Dharwad condemning the murder of Prof Kalburgi.

In a joint statement issued by Giraddi and Kanavi to the media, they said that a massive protest was launched on September 14 wherein writers,poets, social thinkers, and local organisations condemned the murder.

However, the convener of the organisation which led the protest, without bringing the contents in the memorandum to their notice, had taken the signatures of the writers who took part in the agitation, they said.

“If Srirama Sene is mentioned in the memorandum, it is a grave mistake,” they clarified.

It may be stated here that Sene chief Pramod Muthalik had threatened to sue the writers and thinkers who had reportedly made defamatory remarks against the Sene and had mentioned its name in the memorandum submitted to the government.

On Sunday, Muthalik said that the Sene had planned to issue defamation notices to those who had claimed that the Sene was suspected in the Kalburgi murder case.

He said that since Giraddi and Kanavi had clarified that they were unaware of Sene’s name being dragged into the issue, notices had not been issued to them.

2 arrested, released

Manjunath Bhavi, the district president of the Sene, and Sene leader Rajachandra were arrested in Raichur on Saturday night for their remarks that they would damage the houses of certain intellectuals who had blamed the Sene for Kalburgi’s murder. The two were later released on bail. They are among the four against whom cases had been registered in connection with the crime.

Meanwhile, Manjunath Bhavi has withdrawn his threat of damaging the houses of certain intellectuals and has expressed regret.