“We were thrilled when the team identifying itself as part of a popular Hindi movie production unit reached here. We welcomed them warmly, and hoped to see famous actors like Amitabh Bachchan or Rishi Kapoor. But within days of their arrival, armed police personnel conducted an early morning operation. The rest is history!” said Mahadeva, a villager in Beeroota.
Mahadeva, in his 40s, claimed that none of Beeroota’s residents suspected the ‘production unit’ till, following the police raid, the group consumed cyanide and died. Later, the villagers learnt that the dead were a part of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the militant group that was behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. It came as quite a shock to them.
Prominent role
Beeroota, a tiny village near picturesque Muthathi on the banks of the Cauvery, provided shelter to many LTTE cadre after the killing of Rajiv Gandhi. The village also played a prominent role in the gunning down of Sivarasan (the ‘one-eyed-jack’ mastermind behind the assassination); Dhanu alias Anbu; and others, in Bengaluru’s Konanakunte in 1991. With just three houses and some huts, nearly three decades ago, Beeroota was one of the most backward villages in the State when the LTTE arrived.
When The Hindu visited Beeroota on Rajiv Gandhi’s 28th death anniversary, nearly a dozen villagers surrounded this correspondent. Many of them claimed that they hadn’t known of Rajiv Gandhi's brutal killing until the police told them. Back in the day, none of the residents had radio sets or newspapers, said Nagaraju, a villager. However, most residents have stories to share on the LTTE cadre’s stay at Beeroota.
Soaps and powders
“We have never seen or even smelt bath soaps till they arrived here. They gave soap boxes to some of us, and were also giving [talcum] powders,” said Mayappa, another villager. According to him, the LTTE group introduced bath soaps, detergents, talcum powders, cream biscuits, breads and buns to the village.
All the militants had injuries on their bodies; two of them did not have hands. When the villagers asked, they said the injuries had been caused by stunts for film shootings.
“Everyone blindly believed them,” said another villager, also called Mayappa, a common name here. “I can still remember — they used to leave home in the morning, carrying a camera lens, and caterpillars, and return only after dusk. They said they were searching for the finest locations by the banks of Shimsha river, and near hillocks,” he added.
Mahesha, a child during the LTTE cadre’s brief stay here, remembers they won the hearts of locals by pampering local kids, although they kept their distance from the adults.
Today, the village has 28 houses with a population of about 100 people. Most villagers in their 30s witnessed the operation that was conducted against the LTTE on August 18, 1991.
Another team of LTTE cadre stayed at Muthathi, a popular riverside picnic spot. They, too, died on that fateful day.
