T.N. hopeful of Rajkumar's early release

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, SEPT. 28. Even as the Kannada actor Mr. Rajkumar's fans and other organisations went ahead with the `Karnataka Bandh' today, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, said here that he was ``still hopeful'' of an early release of the hostages by the forest brigand Veerappan.

Pegging his optimism on the Centre's affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, supporting the stand of the two State Governments to release the TADA detenus to help resolve the hostage crisis peacefully, Mr.Karunanidhi said, ``we are now hopeful of a favourable verdict'' by the Apex Court in the cases concerned.

The official emissary and `Nakkeeran' Editor, Mr. R.R. Gopal, now on his fourth forest mission, will explain all these developments to Veerappan and convince him to free Mr. Rajkumar and the three other hostages ``even earlier'' (before the cases come up before the Supreme Court on October 11), Mr. Karunanidhi said.

Stating that the Karnataka Chief Secretary had informed his Tamil Nadu counterpart that the `bandh' in that State was peaceful, Mr.Karunanidhi said his Government had already written to them urging extra security measures for Tamils living in that State.

``I cannot be so definite,'' Mr. Karunanidhi quipped when asked about the Karnataka Home Minister, Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge's statement that Mr.Rajkumar and the other hostages would return home in three days.

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