BENGALURU: When writers from across the country returned their Sahitya Academy Awards alleging increasing incidents of intolerance in the country, ruling BJP alleged that Congress was behind this Award Wapsi movement. But now it is the turn of the Congress government in the state to face a similar protest.
Young Kannada writer and film director T.K. Dayananda has decided not to accept the Karnataka Sahitya Academy award 2013. The Academy will be holding the award distribution programme on Saturday.
In his letter to the Chairman and Registrar, Karnataka Sahitya Academy, Dayananda has informed that he is not receiving the award as state government has failed to trace the culprits who had killed well known Kannada writer Prof M.M. Kalburgi on August 30, last year and the CID is investigating this murder case. Dayanand was selected for the award for his book Raste Nakshathra.
It may be recalled that Dayanand had recently withdrawn from the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF) opposing the participation of one of its organizers Vikram Sampath as he had criticised all those who had returned their awards in a weekly.
In his letter to the academy officials, Dayanand has observed that even though more than four months have lapsed after Kalburgi’s murder, the CID has failed to make any progress in arresting the culprits. “Investigating agencies succeed in cracking crime cases easily. But in the case of Kalburgi’s murder, the same investigating agencies failed even to make little progress,” he stated.
“M.M. Kalburgi was a internationally acclaimed Kannada writer. When state government is not able to provide justice to his family members, it is not proper on my part to receive the award. I am not in a position to celebrate any award given by the Sahithya Academy at this stage,” he stated in his letter.
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