[3] M. M. Kalburgi was born on 28 November 1938 in Yaragal village of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency (now in Sindagi taluk of Bijapur district, Karnataka) of British India.

As the vice-chancellor of the Kannada University, Kalburgi started several research projects including the one recording the history of kaifiyats, Adil Shahi literature, ancient poets, and lesser known royal families.

He had also worked as chairman of the Da Ra Bendre National Memorial Trust and member of the Kannada Sahitya Academy's advisory board.

In the first, Kalburgi examined several vachanas (poems) written by Basaveshwara's second wife Neelambike and concluded that her relationship with her husband may have been only platonic.

Kalburgi, relying on historical records, argued that Channabasava could be the product of Basava's sister Nagalambike's marriage to Dohara Kakkaya, the cobbler-poet.

[12] and leading to protests from the right-wing groups, Vishva Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and Sri Ram Sena against both the writers.

[13] Having faced death threats previously, Kalburgi had demanded security from the ruling Indian National Congress government of Karnataka, but had not been provided with it initially.

[15] On the morning of 20 August 2013 another activist for scientific understanding, Narendra Dabholkar, was gunned down by shots to his head and chest fired at point blank range by two men on a motorcycle who immediately escaped.

She went inside to fetch coffee for them, but at 8:40 a.m. IST, one of the men fired two rounds at point blank range, striking Kalburgi's chest and forehead, while the other waited outside keeping the motorcycle running.

The Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reacted to the murder calling Kalburgi a "progressive thinker" and said that the government had treated the incident "very seriously", and that culprits would be traced soon and "strictest punishment" would be meted out in accordance to law.

[citation needed] Protests led by pro-Kannada organizations, students and activists took place in other parts of Karnataka subsequently.

[22][23] In October 2015, writer Nayantara Sahgal also returned Sahitya Akademi Award citing his murder among other incidents with people being "killed for not agreeing with the ruling [party's] ideology.

[30] The investigations stretched to include a property dispute within Kalburgi's close family circle which had been successfully settled after he had intervened.

[31] On 2 September, Karnataka Police released sketches of the two suspects to the press, based on accounts by Umadevi, Kalburgi's wife, and "another person who had a glimpse of them."