M.M Kalburgi
Malleshappa Madivalappa Kalburgi (28 November 1938 – 30 August 2015) was an Indian scholar of Vachana Sahitya (Vachana literature) and academic who served as the vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi. he was awarded the National Sahitya Academy Award in 2006 for Marga 4. Kalburgi was a progressive voice among Lingayat, a religious group dominating Karnataka state politics. Kalburgi’s life work has been to provide insights and raise new perspectives into the Lingayat history and community. In 2014, he had spoken against superstitions in Hinduism, which some people misinterpreted as being against idolatry in Hinduism. Following which, a case was registered on the basis of a private complaint by an individual against Kalburgi for hurting religious sentiments. Kalburgi was shot dead in the morning of 30 August 2015 at his residence in Dharwad district of Karnataka by two unidentified men.
Source: Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._M._Kalburgi
