File photo of Professor Kalburgi.
The first reactions to scholar MM Kalburgi's murder - whether from family or acquaintances - was that the eminent academic had been killed because of his provocative writings.
But almost simultaneously, the police have pushed the parallel narrative of a family dispute over property as a possible motive.
Professor Kalburgi was shot dead at his home in Karnataka's Dharwad on Sunday morning by gunmen who came on a bike.
"There are several aspects we are probing; property is one of them. We have to verify that too," PH Rane, the Dharwad-Hubli police commissioner told NDTV.
While Professor Kalburgi's run-ins with right wing groups and religious hardliners have been widely recorded, the basis for the property dispute theory is less clear. When pressed for details, the police refused to comment.
According to his family and friends, there are two strands of property ownership.
The first, according to his family, is about 70 acres of agricultural land owned by Professor Kalburgi and his seven brothers in their ancestral village in Bijapur district, about 250 kms from Dharwad. The land is managed by the brothers.
Professor Kalburgi, his son Srivijaya said, never had any interest in his share; nor have his children. "My father and his brothers have some agricultural land but we never expected anything to come to us. In fact, my uncles have offered but my father said we are all well-settled," he said.
The other property row the police claim they are looking into is a dispute Professor Kalburgi's daughter Poornima is said to be embroiled in with her in-laws over her share in her late husband's property and assets in Bijapur. Poornima's husband, an engineer, died three years ago.
Family members pointed out that it was not a dispute Professor Kalburgi had any significant role in - it was between his daughter and her in-laws.
The police are believed to have sent a team to Bijapur to probe the property angle.
Acquaintances say that while they have no intimate knowledge of Professor Kalburgi's property holdings, they find little substance in the theory. "I remember he had been given a huge award and he had just given away the cheque to charity and other people," remembered Sugata Srinivasaraju, Editorial Director, Asianet News Network.
At the same time, Professor Kalburgi's children have welcomed a police investigation into all possible angles. "I don't want to say they (the police) are floating any theory" said Srivijaya.
But there are concerns that strong leads might be ignored for red herrings.
"Governments routinely try to do this so that they can deflect the controversy," said Mr Srinivasaraju.