The Hindu : Tragic end to hostage crisis

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 09, 2002

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National

Tragic end to hostage crisis

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE DEC. 8. The recovery of the body of the former Minister, H.Nagappa from Changadi forest area near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border this afternoon has brought the 105 day-old hostage crisis to a tragic end.

The notorious forest bandit, Veerappan, and his gang abducted Mr. Nagappa (66) from his farmhouse in Kamagere on August 25, 2002. The kidnap of Mr. Nagappa, who is a diabetes patient, created panic in the State.

In a knee-jerk reaction, the shocked State Government intensified combing operations in the Gundal forest range, which adjoins Kamagere, in the hope of nabbing the bandit.

The Special Task Force (STF), engaged in operations against Veerappan, was reinforced with additional personnel from the Karnataka State Reserve Police Force (KSRP) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The stepped up combing operations saw the State Government pressing into service a crack team of elite National Security Guards (NSG) and launching of helicopter operations to locate the elusive bandit, but in vain. The bandit, Veerappan, sent an audio-cassette threatening to kill Mr. Nagappa if the security forces were not withdrawn from the forests immediately.

Bowing to pressure from Mr. Nagappa's family, the Government directed the withdrawal of STF from the forests, a couple of days later. During the three-and-a-half-month hostage crisis, Veerappan sent as many as six cassettes in which he consistently demanded the despatch of jailed Tamil activist, Kolathur Mani, as an emissary for negotiating the release of Mr. Nagappa.

The State Government initially refused to concede to Veerappan's demand for sending Mani for negotiations in view of the legal hurdles. Mani, who has been lodged in Bellary jail, was facing charges in six cases.

The Opposition parties, particularly the JD (U) to which Mr. Nagappa belonged, brought pressure on the State Government to release Mani and send him to the forests as an emissary.

A meeting of pontiffs of various maths in the State also met in Bangalore and urged the Government to send Mani as an emissary.

Only a little over a fortnight ago, the Government decided to send Kolathur Mani as the emissary by directing the public prosecutors not to oppose Mani's bail plea. Thanks to efforts by the Suttur Math pontiff, Shivarathri Desikendra Swamiji, retired the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Abdul Kareem, was also convinced against moving the Supreme Court to oppose the release of Mani on bail.

Though Mani managed to secure bail in a few cases, his release from jail ran into rough weather when the Kollegal court refused him bail.

In his fifth cassette, Veerappan had set a deadline of 12 days, for Mani's release, and that expired on November 30.

An appeal was also aired on All India Radio by the Minister for Agro Processing, Raju Gowda -- who incidentally defeated Mr. Nagappa in the 1999 Assembly elections from Hanur Assembly constituency -- urging Veerappan to extend his deadline in view of the legal hurdles before Mani's release.

During the three-and-a-half-month ordeal, Parimala Nagappa and her family members ran from pillar to post with an appeal for efforts to secure Mr.Nagappa's safe release from Veerappan. Unfortunately, the worst fears of Ms. Parimala Nagappa and her family came true when the Government confirmed the recovery of Mr. Nagappa's dead body.

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