In 2017, 13 years after the dreaded smuggler, Veerappan, was shot dead, K Vijay Kumar, the Special Task Force (STF) chief from Tamil Nadu, instrumental in nabbing Veerappan, wrote a book on the operation, Veerappan: Chasing The Brigand .
Kumar’s thrilling narrative has now been translated into Kannada by Dr. DV Guruprasad, former Director-General of Police and was released in Bengaluru last weekend.
“The Kannada translation, Veerappan Dantachorana Bennati launched by Police Commissioner, Alok Kumar, has done justice to the original, insightful account,” said Gopal B Hosur, former IG of Bengaluru, who was also involved in the task force responsible for the capture of the bandit. “The 20-year operation was led by the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka STF.”
Guruprasad’s translation reflects Kumar’s inbuilt quietude. “Kumar admits hating writing daily reports during his operations, as he was more a man of action. After Operation Cocoon, however, Kumar was equipped to write a book on what was the chase of the century, ironically with the help of the very same daily reports,” adds Hosur.
Karnataka, Bengaluru: 31/03/2017: K Vijaya Kumar, writer and former STF chief during the launch of his book Veerappan in Bengaluru on March 31, 2017. Photo : Sudhakara Jain.
The long fight ended with Veerappan’s killing in 2004 in a shootout in Padi. The book is also a record of the poacher’s early days in Gopinatham village where he was born in 1952. The village is located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka and borders Tamil Nadu, nestling in the thick scrub forest and mountainous terrain over which Veerappan would later reign. Kumar writes that Veerappan developed a familiarity with guns even while growing up and was even charged for poaching as a young boy.
To escape being caught by the authorities, he took refuge in the jungle.
Kumar and Guruprasad’s respect for Hosur is apparent by their account of the trauma he underwent after being injured in the crossfire. Bullets had pierced his throat and lodged in his lungs. Hosur, who was part of the Kannada book launch last Sunday, recalled those ‘agonising, unforgettable days’ that had him out of action for almost seven to eight months. “Miracles happen because of a power above us, and that is what happened with me. My jeep reversed in the nick of time, saving me from further injuries and even possible death. I was rushed to the hospital where I underwent multiple operations, including plastic surgery. If my account of the STF forest operations is on record in this book today, the credit goes to my doctors who did not give up on me. To see such a lovely book in Kannada take shape is something for Karnataka to cherish,” he says.
There are many other interesting incidents in the book that Guruprasad was happy to translate. “It is not just about a chase that took 20 years; it is a vivid account of one of the longest-running police operations in the country with two major undercover operations that reads like a top-notch thriller,” says Guruprasad. The high-profile kidnappings masterminded by Veerappan, including the 108-day ordeal involving Kannada cinema superstar, Dr Rajkumar, are described in fascinating detail in the book published by Eka-Westland.
