Atheist Society demands anti-superstition law

Visakhapatnam: Demanding the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state governments make an anti-superstition law, Atheist Society of Indian (ASI) members urged the Maharashtra government to punish the culprits of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar's murder as four years have been passed by since his death.

Speaking at an event organised by Atheist Society of India in the city on Sunday, Andhra University retired Prof KP Subba Rao recalled the efforts and sacrifices made by social reformer Dabholkar to make the Anti-Superstition Law a reality in Maharashtra and to create awareness about irrational beliefs among public through Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samithi.

“The state governments should wake up from slumber and take steps to avoid repetition of such brutal attacks by fundamentalist groups on the rationalists, public intellectuals and science popularisers, who are working for the progress of the society,” said Andhra University Prof C Manju Latha.

“Despite the CBI report stated that four members of fundamentalist Sanathana Group were involved in the murder of Dabholkar, only two of them were arrested even after four years of the incident. This is nothing, but backroom manoeuvres,” criticised ASI state president T Sreeram Murthy.

Over the last two months in both the Telugu states, nine members breathed their last due to superstitions, pointed out ASI district president Y Nookaraju.

APCLC member P Ramana noted that if the criminals of Dabholkar murder case had been punished immediately, killings of other rationalists Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi might not have been taken place.ASI members NB Murthy, J Ramprabhu, N Ajay, J Shyamala, Vignyanand and JV Ratnam attended.