Former SP who led assault team of the STF targeted in the Palar landmine blast recalls the crime that claimed 22 lives
The rejection of mercy petitions of the four associates of slain forest brigand Veerappan involved in the Palar landmine blast case of April 9, 1993, drew a note of satisfaction from the police officer who led a patrol team and survived serious injuries in the blast.
“Though it has come very late, it definitely brings a sense of satisfaction as compensation for the 22 lives lost,” said K. Gopalakrishnan, a former SP who led the assault team of the STF.
Four convicts -- Gnanaprakasam, Bilavendra, Meesai Madhaiah and Simon – were informed on Wednesday in the Belgaum prison that their mercy petitions had been rejected by the President.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan was STF SP in 1993 when the tragedy took place. On retirement, he has now settled down in Mettur very close to the place where the landmine blast took place.
Apart from the loss of 22 lives, many other injured persons gradually lost their health and met with early deaths because of the gravity of the injuries suffered in the landmine blast, he said.
Narrating the incident, he said that during a combing operation in Andhiyur forests, on the night of April 7, 1993, STF got information that an informant, Sadayan, was killed in Gopinatham, the native village of the forest brigand.
A banner, reportedly kept by Veerappan in the shandy in the nearby village on April 8, 1993, challenged STF to take him head-on. “Considering the distance that the accused could have travelled, we took the challenge and ventured into the terrain known as Sorakkamadu across the river Palar in Karnataka limits,” Mr. Gopalakrishnan recalled.
The team comprised 15 informers, two watchers from the forest department and 14 policemen. “I was on the footboard of the first jeep known as assault vehicle equipped with an AK 47 assault rifle and reinforcements came in as support in the vehicles that followed at a distance. Hardly minutes before reaching the spot, I noticed unnatural undulations on the road surface on hostile terrain and asked the driver to stop the jeep. But, the Karnataka police jeep driver who was not able to understand the instruction given in Tamil chose to accelerate and the jeep ran over the landmine”.
President of Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam Kolathur Mani said the four convicts were victims of circumstances. He recalled that the Special Court for TADA cases observed that it was a rarest of rare and gravest of grave offences, given the number of people killed in the landmine blast. However, the court refused to award capital punishment because they were not the prime accused.
Of the 124 arrested under charges of TADA, 117 were acquitted and released and seven were given life terms. Of the three cases that were taken on appeal by the Supreme Court, all the seven were acquitted and released in two cases. Even these four death row convicts were acquitted in the remaining two cases, but given the death sentence only in this case by the Supreme Court in 2004, he said.
Sitting comfortably in Easy chair with a cup of coffee and newspaper in one hand any body can say that the capital punishment is not correct. Being a close relative of victim in New Delhi blast case in 2005, i fully support for the capital punishment to those who are knowingly or unknowingly involved in the crime. What do we think and talk about capital punishment? Is it right knowingly or unknowingly by directly helping a person with intention to terrorise the society. Where did the humanitarian feelings of people now suggest capital punishment is wrong. Atleast these people who are awarded capital punishment are given a fair deal to be tried in the court of law. Can these people who talk against capital punishement come and help the victims' family? In the above Delhi blast case, the victim was 70+, his daughter-n-law lost her hearing ability. The wife of the victim is under a panic situation even now. In that case, the trial is still on and the culprits are still out at large.
I agree with Shankar
The statement " But, the Karnataka police jeep driver who was not able
to understand the instruction given in Tamil chose to accelerate and the
jeep ran over the landmine” is something to be thought about.... Why
would the SP choose to take a person to drive the "mission" vehicle not
familiar with the language he spoke. How would the commands in a mission
such as this be known to his team if the team and the leader are not
able to communicate in one common language.
Capital Punishment serves as a warning to all. These people without any regret took the lives of Policemen. What kind of punishment should they be served.
Sri Vijaykumar, the law of the land currently is that capital punishment will be awarded in rarest of rare cases. This is a fact which you cannot dispute. The law has to run its course and the courts have to be respected. It is dangerous and unfair to intervene with an opinion after the highest court of the land has passed its judgement. If you disagree with the law, by all means, try to have it changed in the parliament. But kindly refrain from commenting on a court judgement. It is opinions such as these that weaken the rule of law. It strengthens the hands of politicians who play with these sentiments.
Unfortunately, I cannot feel solidarity with the former SP for several
reasons. First, I am opposed to capital punishment and believe that
capital punishment is useful only from the perspective of government
and political bureaucracy as it helps them 'when' to have it – in many
cases, the political climate decides it, as we are now witnessing in a
few capital punishment cases. From the perspective of crime reduction,
long jail terms, which is not interrupted by corrupt power mongers, as
happens in Europe will do a lot better. Second, given the present
context, now the government is in need of proving that the last week
execution was not political: it can now say: “see the President has
rejected even many others’ mercy petitions, so this is the time to
‘move on.’” Third I greatly appreciate and honor the work done by
police department in our society, and I myself have relatives and
friends from the same department, but I am of the opinion that if only
the officers at the level of this former SP take careful steps in not
devastating the lives of thousands of ordinary villagers and poor
people in the name of law and order, preventing crimes and
investigation, and take note of and report to higher authorities the
atrocities done to these helpless people, and instruct their
subordinates to do their policing work without ruining innocent
people, we would not have ended up in today’s situation.
Seeing capital punishment as a retribution for the murder of one or more people by the punished person is wrong. An eye for an eye is not the philosophy behind a capital punishment in the civilized world, Such a punishment is only a warning to people that a crime like murder can attract a severe punishment like execution. The warning is meant to make living safer for the living.
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