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| Sunday, 24 October 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Gunning down of Veerappan on Durga night : A fitting end by Ananth Palakidnar
The first three days of Navarathri, the festival of Nine nights are dedicated to Durga, the Goddess of destruction. Coincidentally or by design `Operation Cocoon' carried out by the Tamil Nadu police to trap Koose Munisamy Veerappan, India's most wanted bandit and bring an end to his reign of terror was successfully accomplished on the third day of the festival with the gunning down of Veerappan and his three allies. Head of the Special Task Force of the Tamil Nadu police force K. Viyayakumar who carried out `Operation Cocoon' with around 700 other commandos announced the successful completion of his operation with a spiritual touch by shaving his head at a small Durga temple located at the jungle. It was the same ungle that Vijayakumar planned out the tactics and strategies to gun down Veerappan for the past several months. Viyayakumar's gesture of shaving his head immediately after the hunt was over, is seen as a fulfilment of a vow taken prior to `Operation Cocoon' got under way. With his `handlebar' moustache, the lean and wiry bandit was often clad in military fatigue. He carried .303 rifles and SLR rifles obtained subsequent to attacks on policemen who were on the look out for him in the past. Veerappan, India's most wanted man for the past two decades was thriving in the jungle areas bordering Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka where he was involved in smuggling sandalwood and hunting elephants for ivory. Apart from cutting down sandalwood timber and slaughtering elephants for ivory the Bandit King was also wanted in connection with the murder of more than one hundred police men, forest rangers and innocent villagers during his formidable existence in the jungles. Veerappan had often abused policemen for ill-treating the innocent civilians in the outskirts of his jungle hideouts to extract information about his whereabouts. In the past two decades several operations were carried out by the police forces of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to apprehend Veerappan. However the Bandit who first gunned down an elephant in his early teens was intelligent enough to escape the traps laid to get him. Veerappan began to establish his jungle empire at the age of eighteen and he was sixty when he was gunned down. During the course of his bandit activities he remained a threat to the state government of Karnataka as most of his movements were taking place in the jungles bordering Karnataka where the sandalwood trees were in abundance. In 2000, Veerappan kidnapped the Karnataka film star Rajeshkumar and released him after more than one hundred days. In 2002 he abducted a former Karnataka state minister called Nagappa demanding the release of a jailed Tamil nationalist leader. When the demand was turned down, Nagappa was brutally murdered. `Operation Cocoon' commander Vijaykumar describing his plans to get Veerappan said: "We acted on information that he had an eyesight problem and was seeking medical help." STF chief further added that his men established themselves in various villages and hamlets posing as beggars, mendicants, bus drivers and cowherds to gather information on the whereabouts and the movements of Veerappan who was carrying a bounty of US $ 1.1 million. The breakthrough came when the STF got information that the bandit was badly in need of eye treatment. With this tip-off `operation cocoon' was worked out and the police commandos posing as ordinary civilians offered help to get the bandit to the hospital. A police van was converted into an ambulance with a commando disguised as its driver. "Veerappan who was also known as the `wild cat' for his lightning movements that had helped him escape when he was surrounded by the police, was trapped into an ambulance and now it was our turn to wait in hiding for him as he drove into the trap," Vijaykumar said. "We announced on the speakers fitted to our jeeps that since he was surrounded and there was no way he could escape and that he and his associates should give themselves up. There was silence for about a minute and there was firing from the other side. We took cover returned the fire, killing Veerappan and three of his associates, "Vijaykumar added. A few years ago Nakkeeran, a well known journalist from Tamil Nadu had an opportunity of getting an exclusive interview with Veerappan in one of his jungle hide outs. During that interview Veerappan described his life style in the jungles and also showed a photograph of Sri Lanka's LTTE leader Veluppilai Prabhakaran and said that Prabhakaran was his hero and that he carried his photo always in the shirt pocket. The voice of Veerappan which was recorded during the interview was later relayed on the BBC Tamil service and millions of listeners from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka were able to listen to the bandit. Veerappan had the habit of getting up early in the morning and worshipping Sun before embarking into his activities. He was a teetotaller and dismantling his weapons and cleaning them were his past time. According to political opinion from Tamil Nadu, it was during the regime of former Chief Minister Muttuvelu Karunanidhi when the state government was having a running battle with its neighbouring Karnataka state rulers over the sharing of Cauvery river to the paddy fields. The bandit was allowed to remain a `bully' to the Karnataka state by the Tamil Nadu regime of Karunanidhi which was soft pedalling the task of apprehending Veerappan. However the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalitha Jayaram who is a Kannada by birth was jubilant over the death of Veerappan and had congratulated the STF team which killed the bandit and announced Rs. 3 million and a house for each of the commando who took part in the operation. Thousands of people gathered at the burial of Veerappan at Moolakadu, a hamlet in Tamil Nadu. Veerappan's wife and his daughters Prabha and Vidya Rani were there to see the last rites. The final day of Navarathri which is known as Dasara, is an annual pageant in Mysore, the garden city of Karnataka. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims and foreign tourists are gathered to witness this event in Mysore every year. The event is popularly known as Vijayadasami among Hindus. This time the death of Bandit King Veerappan will be an added celebration to Dasara in Mysore. ****** Fact file The brigand with the deadly moustache, Munusamy Veerappan, had a crime life spanning four decades. The toll: at least 120 people, 2,000 elephants, over 88,000 pounds of ivory, and sandalwood worth millions. Here is a crime file of India's most dreaded dacoit. * 1955: Ten-year-old Veerappan shoots down a tusker near Gopinatham. * 1955-1980: Over 300 elephants are poached by Veerappan. * 1984-1986: Four persons belonging to the Karnataka Forest Department are killed. * July 1987: A Tamil Nadu forest officer Chidambaram is kidnapped and lynched.. * January 1989: Five members of a rival gang are kidnapped and killed. * Aug 1989: Three forest personnel of Begur forest range of Tamil Nadu are killed. Their mutilated bodies are recovered 19 days later. * Jan 1990: A sub-inspector and a head constable are shot by Veerappan's gang, following gunning down of two of his members by Tamil Nadu police . * April 1990: In the first direct attack, Veerappan mbushed and mowed down three sub-inspectors and a constable, including Dinesh, an officer, who had been "hot on his trial".. * May 1990: Special Task force constituted to nab the poacher. * Nov 1990: R Srinivas deputy conservator of forests is shot and beheaded. Srinivas was blamed for the death of Mari, Veerappan's sister. Head is traced three years later. * Feb 20, 1992: Son of a granite quarry owner kidnapped in Karnataka and Rs one crore ransom demanded. Quarry owner pays Rs 15 Lakh as ransom. * May 20, 1992: Swoops down on Ramapura police station, killing policemen and taking away a cache of arms. * June 15, 1992: STF kills four of Veerappan's gang in Nellur village. Veerappan sends a note, saying 'I will finish all of you'. * August 14, 1992: Veerappan traps STF SP, Harikrishna and 27 police personnel. Bombed Harikrishna, Ahmed and four others. * April 1993: A bus carrying Tamil Nadu police personnel is blown up near Palar killing 22 personnel including civilians, SP 'Rambo' Gopalakrishnan hurt in the attack. * May 1993: Attacks Karnataka SP, Gopal Hosur and party at MM hills, killing six policemen. July 1993: BSF begins operations in the forest area, nabs 19 members of the gang. * August 1993: Series of encounters with BSF and Veerappan's gang claim lives of 18 gang members and three policemen. Few months later, Veerappan sends audio cassette, seeking amnesty. * December 1994: DSP, Directorate of Vigilance and anti-corruption Chidambaranathan and two companions kidnapped from Coimbatore district. They escape on December 31 after 27 days, under the cover of STF onslaught. Veerappan's brother, Arujunan and two gang members Ayyadyrai and Rangaswamy, surrender. * November 1995: Three forest officials kidnapped in the Anthiyur forest in Erode and a ransom of Rs five crore sought. Hostages set free 20 days later after Rs.3.5 lakh is paid unofficially. * December 1995: Veerappan attacks TN STF, two personnel killed. The attack is to avenge the death of Arjuna and Rangaswamy who had consumed poison in STF custody. * January 1996: Attack on Tamil Nadu SP, Tamilselvan and party, killing a constable and injuring the SP. * April 1997:After a lull of nearly one year, the bullet ridden body of Veerappan's heir apparent 'Baby' Veerappan is found in the forests. * July 1997: Ten forest personnel are kidnapped. One is sent back with a surrender offer on a cassette. On August 5 another hostage reaches Chennai with the Tamil Magazine Nakkeeran editor, RR Gopal. Others are released later. * Dec 21, 1998: Veerappan and gang attack Vellitiruppur police station in TN, decamped with nine guns, ammunition after this major operations, Veerappan with reduced strength of his supporters lies low, seeks amnesty and holds negotiations with Tamil Nadu Government. * April 28, 1999: Another major attack, three forest officials are kidnapped near Hogenekkal in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri district. Letters and audio cassette are sent to the district collector. * July 30, 2000: Sensational abduction of Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar and four others from Doddagajanur guest house. One of the hostages, Nagappa escapes from their clutches. * August 25, 2002: Former Karnataka Minister H Nagappa is abducted. Body found after some days. * October 18, 2004: The brigand was killed by the STF of Tamil Nadu Police. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
In a quirky turn of fate, the Veerappan saga came to an end with the
beginning of the Navarathri festival in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The festival is celebrated in a grand scale in the states of Karnataka and
Kerala where the 2,800 square mile jungle area bordering the state of
Tamil Nadu was dominated by the `Bandit King' for more than two decades.
