He doesn't release hostages for free

He doesn't release hostages for free
B S NAGARAJ

NEW DELHI, AUG 7: Brought to their knees by outlaw Veerappan, the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu may well be considering his demand for ransom of Rs 50 crore to release Kannada thespian Rajkumar.

Though the Chief Ministers of both the States denied that Veerappan had asked for money, sources said that since most of the other demands were political in nature and would in no way benefit him directly, they may be trying to pull the wool over everybody's eyes.

``They are in no position to risk the life of Rajkumar, but at the same time no government worth its salt will admit that it was forced to pay money,'' sources said. They also pointed out that in 1997, wildlife photographers Krupakar and Senani and some others were released by Veerappan only after the payment of a ransom of Rs 2.5 crore. Of course, the official stance has always been that not a penny was paid.

At that time, the other demands made by the dreaded poacher relating to cases against his gang members were brushed aside once the hostages were released. Despite the total denial of Veerappan's present demand by the two Chief Ministers now, it is difficult to comprehend that a wily and ruthless killer will suddenly turn a champion of the Tamil cause and of the rights of tea plantation workers' rights. Any kidnapping is usually linked to ransom, withdrawal of legal cases and amnesty. And as for Veerappan, all of the above are more in his interest than, say, the statue of poet-saint Thiruvalluvar in Bangalore. This lends credence to the speculation that the two governments may be considering shelling out some money to the brigand after all.

Another revealing factor is the manner in which the other demands have been deftly handled by the state governments. While seemingly conceding all other demands, the authorities have merely made a ``where-things-stand'' kind of statement, be it on the Cauvery water sharing dispute or the alleged atrocities by the police on villagers surrounding the jungles.