The Hindu : 'Govt. willing to allow brigand to surrender'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 11, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

'Govt. willing to allow brigand to surrender'

By Our Correspondent

BANDIPUR (CHAMARAJANAGAR DT.) MAY 10. The Minister for Home, Mallikarjun Kharge, said today that though the Government intended to apprehend or kill Veerappan, it would respond to any appeal from the brigand to allow him to "surrender".

Addressing a press conference at the Bandipur Safari Centre near Gundlupet, he said the objective of his visit to STF camps at M.M. Hills, Palar, and Dimbam forest areas was to strengthen the morale of the STF personnel.

Mr. Kharge, who held a comprehensive meeting at M.M. Hills on Friday to review the activities of the joint STF involved in the hunt for the brigand, said the Government would review, at least once a month, the progress of the STF operation along with senior officials of the STFs of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to discuss the requirements of the task forces.

The Minister said the joint STF was operating in a good environment, and the personnel were cooperating with each other. There was unanimity between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu that the brigand should be either nabbed or killed.

The STF was doing a good job, he said, and added that he had held talks with Natarajan, who headed the Tamil Nadu STF, who expressed confidence that the brigand would be apprehended.

Mr. Kharge reiterated that the Government was making all efforts to nab the brigand. He said people were now cooperating with the STF and the Government. The task force personnel were successful in collecting useful information which would help it nab the brigand. Tribal people were willing to come forward to extend their cooperation to the Government. The State forest officials were also assisting the STF.

He said the STF, which had intensified its operations, had adopted a good strategy to capture the brigand, and the Government would not interfere with its functioning.

To a question whether any time limit had been set to nab the brigand, he said the STF had set a deadline for itself, and added that nabbing the brigand was a question of time.

On the request to the Union Government to provide modern weapons for hunting down Veerappan, Mr. Kharge said that a "queue system" was in place with regard to supply of arms and ammunition. However, the Centre had promised to accede to the request immediately if more arms and ammunition were needed.

To a question why the Government was not interested in handing over any case to the Central Bureau of Investigation, he said that was its policy at present, as the State police were able to solve cases.

Dismissing allegations that the Government had neglected the development of border villages situated close to the STF's area of operation, he said Rs. 10 lakh had been sanctioned to each gram panchayat to take up development programmes.

He added that various projects had been taken up with allocations from the drought relief fund, and from zilla and taluk panchayat funds.

To a question regarding the permission given by the Government for quarrying in areas where the STF's was conducting the operation, he said he would discuss the matter with the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, and senior officials to review it.

After the press conference, Mr. Kharge went to the Dimbam forest camp along with the DGP, T. Madiyal, and the STF chief, Jyothi Prakash Mirji, via Chamarajanagar, for a review of the progress of the STF operation.

The district police had made tight security arrangements for Mr. Kharge's trip to the Dimbam forest camp. The Kollegal MLA, G.N. Nanjundaswamy, the State Security Advisor, Sreenivasulu, Mr. Madiyal, the Deputy Commissioner of Chamarajanagar, G.L. Chandrashekaraiah, Mr. Mirji, and the Chamarajanagar Superintendent of Police, P.H. Rane, were present at the press conference.

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