The Hindu : Make bandit surrender: Sangliana

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 24, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Make bandit surrender: Sangliana

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE Dec. 23. Even as the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments have renewed their efforts to nab the jungle bandit, Veerappan, in the wake of the former minister, H. Nagappa's death, the Director General of Police (Prisons), H.T. Sangliana, has suggested that securing the brigand's surrender is a better option.

Mr. Sangliana, who headed the Special Task Force (STF) as its Commander till a few months ago, has expressed doubts over whether the operations against Veerappan would pay dividends. He made the remarks on a visit to Kollegal jail near here recently.

Mr. Sangliana, who is known for his "super-cop" image, said that tracing Veerappan's hideout in the thick jungles was not an easy task for the STF. The Government should, therefore, prepare the ground for his surrender. He made it clear that he had already made the suggestion to the Government. The senior police official pointed out that ensnaring Veerappan without the support of the local people would be difficult. Eliciting information on the bandit's whereabouts in the forests from them was also not easy. The STF operations might, therefore, prove futile, he said.

Notwithstanding the apparently firm stands adopted by the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments to bring to an end the menace of Veerappan, particularly in the wake of Nagappa's death, Mr. Sangliana's scepticism brings into focus the techniques adopted by the STF. A report prepared by the Deputy Commandant of STF, Arakesh, more than two years ago dwells upon the inadequacies of the force.

Among the major reasons for STF's failure, as identified by Mr. Arakesh, is the poor knowledge that the force has about the jungle terrain in which Veerappan operates. The report notes that the bandit studies the pattern of operations carried out by the STF and the police informers.

Mr. Arakesh pointed out that the operational intelligence about the gang, its locations, and movements was not forthcoming from the local people as they fear repression by the gang.

Mr. Sangliana's recent statements virtually echo the contents of Mr. Arakesh's report. But, the report also predicted that Veerappan would not surrender.

Notwithstanding his offers to surrender, Veerappan, Mr. Arakesh said, was fully aware of the legal consequences if he surrendered.

STF exposed

Meanwhile, the JD(U) leader, Ponachchi Mahadevaswamy's success in tracing Veerappan and his hostage, Nagappa, in the forests through independent efforts has put a question mark over the efficiency of the STF.

Mr. Mahadevaswamy, who ventured into the forests on his own along with a few tribal people, has claimed that he met Veerappan twice in the jungles. His meeting with Veerappan has been documented in Nagappa's diary recovered from the place where his body was found. The report prepared by Mr. Arakesh laid stress on strengthening the intelligence network by keeping sufficient a "secret service amount" at the disposal of the Commander of Task Force, as money was the strongest motivator of informers.

It said that intelligence agencies such as the State Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau, and the Research and Analysis Wing were not of much use in generating operational intelligence of the gang's location. Instead, a core group under the Task Force Commander might work to evolve scientific strategies to capture or kill the gang members by adopting unconventional methods. "The service of certain scientists may be used in the venture," the report suggested. Counter-guerrilla strategies were sorely missing in STF operations, the report pointed out and suggested orientation and training for personnel in handling weapons. The report said that the operational efficiency of the STF depended on intelligence and swift action of select commando groups.

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Make bandit surrender: Sangliana