View of Kuvempu University. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Kuvempu University in association with Swarnarashmi Trust of Shivamogga and Bhagavad Gita Abhiyana Samiti of Shivamogga District will organize a seminar on ‘Bhagavad Gita and Crime Prevention’ at Shankar Ghatta on November 18.
The keynote speech on this topic will be delivered by Sonda Swarnavalli Mutt Gangadharendra Saraswati Swamy.
Retired Karnataka High Court Judge H. Billappa will inaugurate the seminar. University Vice-Chancellor Sharath Ananthamurthy will preside over the programme. DS Arun, MLC, Advocate and Working President of Bhagavad Gita Abhiyana Samiti Ashok G. Bhat will attend the inauguration ceremony.
Psychiatrist KR Sridhar from Shivamogga, police officer Ramakrishna Muddepal, advocate Vikram Phadke, scholar Ramachandra Kotemane will deliver lectures on the occasion.
The organization of the seminar at the Kuvempu University campus drew criticism from many people.
Harshakumar Kugwe, a journalist and activist, sent an open letter to the Vice-Chancellor objecting to allowing a seminar with a specific political and cultural agenda on campus. He also raised questions about the people attending the lectures at the seminar. Senior writer and scholar G. Ramakrishna, senior journalist Lakshman Kodase and others supported Mr. Kugwe’s view on the issue.
Responding to the argument, the Vice-Chancellor said that there was nothing fundamentally wrong with a discussion on the subject. However, the discussion should not become religious propaganda. “A university should provide space for all kinds of discussions, but a critical approach should never be abandoned,” he said.
Published – 16 Nov 2025 19:05 IST
