Crime : Crude Drama

Two weeks into the latest Veerappan episode, the abduction of Kannada film idol Rajkumar, a journalist who had criminal cases against him has once again gone into the forest as the state's emissary – after the state withdrew the criminal charges of 'working against the interests of the state' against him. Police forces have been withdrawn from the areas around Gajanur at the behest of the bandit. The central government has washed its hands off on the plea that maintenance of law and order is a 'state subject'. The chief ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are successfully playing out the roles of helpless victims. Veerappan, whose criminal gang had been all but decimated and was on the run some years back until mysteriously the state called off the chase, is seemingly completely in charge. Not only that, he is venturing into negotiating territory which is impinging ominously on terrorist politics.

The first formal set of demands made by Veerappan and sent through S S Gopal, editor of Nakkeeran who went into the forests as the state's emissary, have been a surprise. Amidst speculation that he would demand, as he had done in the past, a financial ransom and general amnesty for his many crimes, Veerappan has presented demands which echo the concerns of fringe political groups in Tamil Nadu. Camouflaged in a bundle of demands ranging all the way from a permanent solution of the Cauvery water dispute and immediate release of 205 tmcft of water for Tamil Nadu to near doubling of wages of tea and coffee plantation workers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has come the demand for release of specifically identified persons in prisons in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Although the two state governments have not made public the priorities set by Veerappan on these demands, Karnataka has wasted no time in releasing the TADA detainees demanded by Veerappan and Tamil Nadu has indicated that the brigand's demands in respect of nine persons in the state's prisons would be similarly treated.