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CRIME:
VEERAPPAN
More
to It Than Meets the Eye
But
most experts are not inclined to believe this. They are convinced there
is a set of secret demands that includes money and general amnesty. Besides,
rumours abound that Rajkumar's family has agreed to pay Gopal Rs 1 crore
if he can secure the actor's release. Gopal's offer to return to the forest
a fourth time is being viewed with much scepticism. Analysts also point
out that somewhere along the line, the Tamil Nadu Government decided to
play a more passive role. They point out that the Karunanidhi Government
had already compromised itself by using Veerappan's video cassettes-shot
by Gopal in 1997-during the election campaign. In these cassettes, which
were widely aired on Sun TV, Veerappan openly abuses former Tamil Nadu
chief minister J. Jayalalitha and her friend Sasikala. Now, after Gopal's
failure, the Tamil Nadu Government wants to wash its hands off the whole
affair and let Karnataka handle it.
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| Jungle
Talk: Verappan (left), Gopal and Rajkumar(right) |
But
what are the options before the Karnataka Government? Experts say there
are only three choices, one of them being a daring rescue operation. This
option, not seriously considered till now, may become a reality. On September
5, Krishna held a meeting with Special Task Force (STF) commander Harshvardhan
Raju and its former chief Shankar Bidari, both of whom reportedly expressed
readiness to launch the operation. As things stand, the STF is on alert.
The problem with undertaking such an operation is that Veerappan may harm
the hostages. Experts are divided over the issue. Some point out that
Veerappan is known to bow in the face of an imminent operation, as he
did in 1997 when the then chief minister J.H. Patel threatened the use
of the army. However, this time around, Union Defence Minister George
Fernandes has ruled out any army intervention. Also, the 500-strong STF
force in Karnataka doesn't really inspire confidence, especially as a
report (details on www.india-today.com) by a former STF superintendent
of police K. Arkesh points out glaring inadequacies like improper weaponry
for the terrain, bad planning and poor coordination. The Tamil Nadu STF
reportedly faces the same problems.
The second option is to continue bending backwards to meet Veerappan's
demands. This would mean arguing before the Supreme Court as to why Veerappan's
associates and the five Tamil ultras should be released. Says Justice
B.G. Balakrishna, a retired Karnataka High Court judge and visiting professor
at the National Law School: "It is going to be a tough task for Karnataka
to convince the apex court about its desire to withdraw the cases to secure
Rajkumar's release. But Karnataka Advocate-General A.N. Jayaram holds
hope, saying, "The Supreme Court has not rejected our plea yet."
The Government's counsel is expected to defend its right to withdraw the
cases against Veerappan's associates on the grounds that law and order
is a state subject and might show precedents where various state governments
and even the Centre have acted in a similar way.
Option three is to dump Gopal and get another emissary-preferably someone
closer to Veerappan-and start another round of negotiations to buy time.
Rajnikant, the Tamil film actor, who has taken a personal interest in
the crisis, could be an emissary choice. However, according to sources,
while the actor is willing to help with funds, he isn't keen to enter
the jungle. Another choice is the Mysore lawyer, K. Venugopal, who represented
Veerappan's brother and still appears for the bandit's associates in court.
While the Karnataka Government is already holding discussions with Venugopal,
Tamil Nadu is reported to have some reservations and has even struck down
the plan of sending him with Gopal. So, as of now, there is a stalemate,
with both the Governments trying to agree on the need for another emissary.
And as the rescue efforts continue, Rajkumar's ordeal in the jungle may
turn out to be a prolonged one.
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The
Government should encash at least a part of its stake in LIC and GIC before
its too late, suggests INDIA TODAY associate Editor V. Shankar Aiyar
in 
