Survey of LTTE activities ordered

By Our Staff Correspondent

GULBARGA, DEC. 3. The Home Minister, Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge, today disclosed that the State Government had directed all the police stations in Bangalore city and its surrounding areas to conduct a survey of the alleged activities of the supporters of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other anti-national organisations and submit a report to the Government immediately.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Kharge who initially declined to say anything on the alleged increase in the activities of the supporters of the LTTE in Bangalore, which had come to open when the Kannada matinee idol, Mr. Rajkumar, was in the captivity of the forest brigand, Veerappan, told questioners that the Government had taken action to check the veracity of the reports that the supporters of the LTTE and other militant organisations had revived their activities in Bangalore.

To another question about Veerappan's alleged connection with the LTTE and the organisations supporting it in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Kharge said that he did know much about the alleged tie-up between Veerappan and the LTTE. The Intelligence departments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and of the Union Government had collected some information about the alleged connection between Veerappan and the LTTE. The State Government would take up the matter with the Central authorities based on these reports, he added.

On the rumour that Veerappan had made good his escape to Jaffna in Sri Lanka with his close associates immediately after the release of Mr. Rajkumar, Mr. Kharge said such a possibility was remote due to the vigil maintained by the Central forces and the Special Task Force of the two States.

``If Veerappan was in Karnataka forests, he had no chances of escaping since the police forces were maintaining a close vigil on all escape routes. Veerappan could escape only from Tamil Nadu forests, but the STF of that State was also maintaining a close vigil on the escape routes in Tamil Nadu.'' According to information available with him, the brigand was still in the forests, Mr. Kharge added.

The Minister defended the appointment of Mr. V.Balachandran of Tamil Nadu Police as the chief of the Joint STF operations against Veerappan and added that Tamil Nadu was as serious about capturing the brigand as Karnataka was, and this had been made clear when Central assistance was sought by that State to strengthen the operation against the outlaw.

He said Mr. Balachandran's appointment as the chief of the Joint STF operation was based on credible reports that Veerappan was in Tamil Nadu forests. He reiterated that both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were serious to put an end to the activities of Veerappan and his associated.

To a question, Mr. Kharge said that the joint operations to capture the elusive brigand would begin simultaneously from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu shortly. The meeting held in Bangalore between the senior police officials of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on Saturday was the first step towards chalking out the action plan. However, Mr. Kharge did not say when the joint operations would begin.

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Section  : Southern States
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