The Hindu : State pays for dealing with a bandit

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 15, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

State pays for dealing with a bandit

By S.K. Ramoo

BANGALORE DEC. 14. The mystery of the recent killing of the former minister, H. Nagappa, in the Chengadi forest has only deepened following the retrieval of spent bullet casings from near the place where the body was found.

Did Veerappan kill his hostage in sheer desperation, or was Nagappa felled by somebody else in an encounter? Did Veerappan foist telltale signs of a fake confrontation to mislead the Government?

According to the post-mortem report that has been made public, the former minister, who was in the brigand's captivity for more than 100 days, was killed by a single bullet fired from a powerful rifle at a distance of 10 to 15 feet. The spent bullet is yet to be traced.

The popular perception is that the bandit kidnapped Nagappa mainly for securing a hefty ransom. He had issued an ultimatum that he would kill the hostage if Kolathur Mani was not sent immediately to negotiate with him. However, it is difficult to believe that he killed the "goose that laid golden eggs".

Although the State Government did not directly accuse the Tamil Nadu STF of killing Nagappa, it has, by making public the recovery of spent bullet casings, implied that the hostage might have died in an encounter. But it is almost impossible for the Karnataka Government to believe the ruthless and deceptive Veerappan, who has claimed that Nagappa was killed in an encounter with the Tamil Nadu STF.

The disturbing central question is why has Veerappan been kidnapping public figures only from Karnataka. It is believed that the brigand has realised that he can get ransom and other demands conceded by the "weak-kneed" State Government, which had shown a clear proclivity to negotiate with him, as it happened in the Rajkumar kidnap episode. It is well known that one pays a heavy price for negotiating with a hardened criminal or terrorist. Veerappan kidnapping another public figure from Karnataka within next six months or a year cannot be ruled out, unless the Government forthwith sends a message that it will, under no circumstances, negotiate with him henceforth.

Unlike in the case of freeing of Rajkumar, the State Government faced a severe handicap in getting Nagappa released, as it could not find an acceptable emissary other than Kolathur Mani.

It is unfair on the part of the leaders of the Opposition and several Lingayat math heads to say that the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, has not made sufficient endeavours to free Nagappa. The State Government suspended STF operations and even persuaded the Tamil Nadu Government to do the same. It is the Opposition leaders who gave a clear fiat to the Government to negotiate with Veerappan through Mani, by getting him bail. It is no fault of the Karnataka Government if legal hurdles came in the way of obtaining speedy bail for Mani,

However, it is a fact that the Krishna Government could not bestow undivided attention to get Nagappa released as it was, for some time, embroiled in a fierce controversy related to the release of the stipulated quantity of Cauvery waters to Tamil Nadu.

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