Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Now, STF turns to Lambadis

By V.S. Palaniappan

Coimbatore Feb. 6. The Special Task Forces of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have begun seeking the support of Lambadis (nomads who enter jungles for collecting minor forest produce) in the operation to nab the brigand, Veerappan.

When contacted, R. Nataraj, Additional Director-General, (Tamil Nadu-STF), told The Hindu that the STF had started conducting meetings at the village level to sensitise them.

Teams led by the Superintendents of Police, N.K. Senthamaraikannan, M. Ashok Kumar and K. Shanmugavel, held the meetings on the Tamil Nadu side. Senior officers, rather than lower-level personnel, were made in-charge of such specific assignments in a bid to create confidence among the Lambadis.

Going by the record of the Lambadis fetching food articles to the Veerappan gang, the STF educated the nomads on the need for nabbing the bandit. Most of the time, the Lambadis carried food as headloads into the forests and returned with minor forest produce and huge cash.

The Lambadis were also a source of information to him on STF movements.

Now, small hamlets were made a cluster and meetings organised simultaneously both in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. A couple of days ago, a huge gathering of Lambadis were exhorted to help the STF at Thinnahalli, from where the force recently seized huge quantities of buried food articles.

The present exercise, besides trying to wean away the Lambadis, was aimed at infusing confidence in them, dispelling the adverse publicity the STF received in the past on charges of excesses, said Mr. Nataraj

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