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Operation Veerappan

M. R. Subramani

AN aura of invincibility surrounds the forest brigand, Veerappan. However, the fact is he is not as invincible as is made out to be, at least by a section in the media.

The Special Task Force (STF) can vouch for the number of close shaves Veerappan has had over the years, but some of them could tell you, in confidence, about a golden opportunity that was missed in December 1994.

It was in November 1994 that the Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials caught hold of a tribal on suspicion near Mettupalayam, in Coimbatore district, and got a tip-off that Veerappan's brother, Arjunan, was immobile with a tumour in his right leg. The message was passed on to the STF, which launched a vigorous search operation.

Pushed to the wall, the brigand took hostage a DSP, Mr. Chidambaranathan, his brother, a constable in Tamil Nadu Police, and brother-in-law, a teacher, on December 3, 1994 from Gandhavayal near Sirumugai. The first thing he demanded after taking these th ree persons hostage, was to discontinue STF operations.

Even as the bureaucrats went into a huddle, the STF pleaded with the then government to carry out a search operation. The STF contention was that in view of Arjunan's indisposition, the gang's mobility had been affected and they could rescue the hostages with minimum damage. But the bureaucracy prevailed and the STF was forced to cool its heels at the foothills of the Western Ghats.

During the 27 days this drama lasted, Veerappan first sent Baby Veerappan as an emissary and then Arjunan for treatment of the tumour. Then followed a list of 10 demands, including a ransom of Rs. 1,000 crores.

Finding these demands impossible to meet, the Government, which also had to host the World Tamil Meet at Madurai in January 1995, decided to allow the STF to launch a search operation.

The operation was launched in total secrecy with the STF entering the forests at wee hours from Kotagiri, which was at an higher altitude than Gandhavayal. This enabled the hostages to escape the brigand. Veerappan was then reported to have gone away to meet journalists. His gang members, unable to face the STF attack, took to their heels, but the DSP managed to convince Iyyan Dorai and Kerangalur Rengasamy, both key members, to surrender.

However, the point here is that by the time the STF was given a free hand to launch the search operation, the mobility of Veerappan and his gang members had been restored. Even during the initial stages of the hostage drama, the STF had pleaded that Veer appan would not run away, leaving his brother and that would give the Force an edge.

Unfortunately, in each of the occasions Veerappan has taken hostages, the government's initial reaction has been to ask the STF to discontinue its operations. It happened again in November 1995, when the brigand took three forest personnel hostage. Then too, the STF had to launch an operation before Veerappan let them off.

The former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalitha, has a point when she says that the STF should be allowed to launch a commando operation. One, such operations are not launched openly and details of it are worked in utmost secrecy. Intelligence info rmation for this has to be perfect and precise, and both in 1994 and 1995, it was such intelligence information that pin-pointed Veerappan's location.

What will happen if such an operation is launched to rescue the Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar? No harm will come to him. That is because when the STF nears his hideout, Veerappan may have no other alternative but to flee.

Wonder why the Government does not have as much faith in its police forces as it has in an emissary.