ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Veerappan drama drags on to Act Umpteen

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi says forest brigand Veerappan had not made any concrete offer of surrender in the video cassette sent last week.

Replying to a special mention by Tamil Manila Congress's C Gnanasekaran and others in the state assembly, Karunanidhi said the cassette did not seem to be complete.

The tape was brought by Veerappan's three associates who surrendered before Inspector General of Police K Kalimuthu.

All that Veerappan said in the cassette was he would like to watch the treatment given by the state police to his surrendered associates.

"He even says he would take revenge if they are not properly treated," the chief minister said.

Rejecting R Thamaraikani's (of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) charge that the state government was "staging" the Veerappan drama to divert attention from the Coimbatore serial blasts, he said on April 19 the Special Task Force arrested five of his associates, including a woman, after a fierce exchange of fire in the Sathyamangalam forests.

Thuppakki Pithan, a key aide of the outlaw, had, however, escaped, Karunanidhi admitted.

Ruling out Veerappan's demand for general amnesty, he said the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments would stand by the earlier offer of transferring all cases against him to Tamil Nadu, and ensuring the police did not harass his relatives.

Referring to a contention that amnesty was offered to Chambal dacoits who surrendered before the late Jayaprakash Narayan, the chief minister said that was not true. "All dacoits who surrendered had to spend some time in jail," he said.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report