Veerappan strikes, abducts Karnataka's film icon Rajkumar

Veerappan strikes, abducts Karnataka's film icon Rajkumar
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

BANGALORE, JULY 31: There was film in every frame of action as sandalwood smuggler Veerappan came back from the dark green oblivion of forests to a village on the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on a rainy Sunday night.

It was as if he chose the timing and target to live up to his mythological image celebrated before cameras and arc lights. As a Hindi film loosely based on his life and times ran to packed houses in urban centres far away, Veerappan and his gang walked into the farmhouse of Kannada film icon Dr Rajkumar. Within minutes, the Hero was a prisoner of the Bandit -- and Veerappan was back in news.

Dada Saheb Phalke Award-winner Rajkumar was abducted along with three others by Veerappan and 12 armed members of his gang from his farmhouse at Gajanur village in Talwadi of Tamil Nadu around 9.30 pm.

Veerappan, who led the five-minute operation, then handed over an audio cassette to Rajkumar's wife, Parvathamma Rajkumar, asking her to hand it over to Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna. In the cassette, Veerappan said he would disclose his demands only to a representative of the state government.

The three others abducted are: Rajkumar's son-in-law Govindraj, relative Nagesh and an assistant film director, Nagappa. Rajkumar's driver, Hanumanthu, wanted to accompany them, but Veerappan did not allow him.

Before leaving, the gang warned Parvathamma against informing the police. Veerappan, however, assured her that he would not harm Rajkumar. Soon after they left, Parvathamma began the long drive to the Chief Minister's house in Bangalore to tell him about the incident.

Krishna immediately called a meeting of senior ministers and officials, including Home Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge, Home Secretary M.B. Prakash and DGP C. Dinakar. He later addressed a Press conference giving details of the incident and said the state government had kept Union Home Minister L.K. Advani informed. Soon after the Press meet, Krishna left for Chennai along with Parvathamma and officials to discuss the crisis with his Tamil Nadu counterpart, M. Karunanidhi.

After holding a meeting with Union ministers Ananth Kumar and V Srinivasa Prasad, who had airdashed to Chennai, Karunanidhi announced that Tamil bi-weekly Nakkeeran Editor R R Gopal will meet Veerappan as a special emissary to secure the release of Dr Rajkumar and the three other hostages.

Parvathamma said the gang came when they had finished dinner. All the 13 men were carrying rifles. ``They asked Rajkumar to come with them and assured us that they would not cause any harm to him.''

Rajkumar got up and immediately agreed to go with them. He did not have time to take his spectacles. Parvathamma said Veerappan spoke to her in Tamil and asked whether she knew him. ``I immediately said, Yes.'' She said she did not know how they came and how they left as it was pouring outside.

Large number of fans gathered at Rajkumar's residence at Sadashivanagar early Monday morning as the news spread. Soon tension was visible across the city as fans displayed their emotions on the streets. In Jayanagar, tyres were being burnt and scores of young men were seen holding up pictures of their idol and stopping vehicles. Schools from Bishop Cottons on St Mark's Road and Purna Prajna in Sadashivnagar were the first to close, others followed throughout the morning. By 10.30 am, the roads leading from Sadashivnagar to the main junctions of MG Road and Cunningham Road were making the city look like a ghost town. They were all waiting for their hero to do what he has done in scores of films -- return after beating the villain to pulp.

One person was stabbed as a mob went on the rampage forcing the Rapid Action Force to hold a flagmarch. Prohibitory orders have been clamped in the city for a week.

Four Tamil dailies -- Dinamani, Dinathanti, Kalai Kadir and Dina Sudar -- were attacked by a mob, police sources said.