CRIME

Enter, more players

The choice of new emissaries who are known to be votaries of Tamil nationalism to meet Veerappan and the Supreme Court's critical observations on the handling of the crisis by the governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, compound the situation created by the abduction of Rajkumar.

T.S. SUBRAMANIAN

THE drama surrounding the abduction of Kannada actor Rajkumar by the brigand Veerappan, playing out for almost three full months now, is getting curiouser and curiouser. And now it has an expanded cast of characters. Meanwhile the Supreme Court repeatedl y pulled up the Karnataka government for its handling of the issue, and then turned the heat on the Tamil Nadu government. While the court expressed its "distress" with regard to the "lethal combination" of Veerappan and "secessionist elements" such as t he Tamil Nadu Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Tamil Nadu Retrieval Troops, Opposition parties in the State denounced the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government for agreeing to send three Tamil nationalists as new emissaries along with 'Nakkheeran' Gopal to negotiate with Veerappan for the release of Rajkumar. The three new emissaries were P. Nedumaran, founder of the Tamil Nationalist Movement, P. Kalyani and P. Sukumaran.

COURTESY: NAKKHEERAN
Kannada actor Rajkumar and Veerappan with government emissaries (from left) P. Nedumaran, 'Nakkheeran' R. Gopal, P. Kalyani, and P. Sukumaran.

The choice of Nedumaran, in particular, raised many eyebrows because he is an open supporter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a banned organisation in India, and one which the Supreme Court has held responsible for the assassination of Raj iv Gandhi. On October 3, at the fifth State conference of the Tamil Nationalist Movement in Madurai presided over by Nedumaran, speakers praised the LTTE and wanted the ban on it to be lifted. This congregation of Tamil chauvinistic organisations demande d due recognition for the struggle for the formation of a Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka. A surprise visitor there was Muthulakshmi, wife of Veerappan, but Nedumaran persuaded her to leave the venue.

The DMK government agreeing to send Nedumaran set off a controversy, and Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was on the backfoot, saying that it was Veerappan who insisted that Nedumaran, Kalyani and Sukumaran be despatched. In the event, there has been no exp lanation from Karunanidhi or his Karnataka counterpart, S.M. Krishna, on why they agreed to yield to this demand, which amounted to sidelining Gopal, who acted as an honest broker of the two governments in his previous four missions. Informed sources, ho wever, said that Karunanidhi had no choice but to send Nedumaran because Veerappan insisted on his inclusion. It was a take-it-or-leave-it situation for Karunanidhi, sources said.

Nedumaran being sent led to a serious misunderstanding between Karunanidhi and Krishna, who had until then acted in tandem on the issue. First, Krishna claimed that the choice of Nedumaran was Karunanidhi's. Then Krishna gave a wide berth to Gopal, Nedum aran, Kalyani and Sukumaran on their return from the forests on October 17 along with S.A. Govindaraj, one of the four hostages taken by Veerappan. A statement from Sonia Gandhi, Congress president and widow of Rajiv Gandhi, raised the temperature furthe r. She said at Raichur on October 18 that the Karnataka government was not responsible for sending Nedumaran. How could Krishna be held responsible for it when the Tamil Nadu government had sent Nedumaran, an "LTTE sympathiser", she asked.

Karunanidhi quickly turned the tables on Krishna and Sonia Gandhi. He revealed that when Veerappan sent a message that Nedumaran, Kalyani and Sukumaran be sent, he despatched Nakkheeran Associate Editor A. Kamaraj to Bangalore to meet Krishna. "After Kri shna gave his consent and also got in touch with Nedumaran, this emissarial team (of four persons) met Veerappan and returned. I don't want to discuss it in detail now because what is important is the release of Rajkumar," Karunanidhi said.

And in an article in Nakkheeran (issue of October 24), Kamaraj said that he met Krishna in Bangalore on September 29 and told him about Veerappan's message on the new emissaries. Kamaraj quoted Krishna as saying, "Nedumaran is a former Congressman. I kno w well." And Krishna asked, "Will they bring back Rajkumar?" Krishna agreed on Nedumaran and others being sent to the forests, Kamaraj said.

Karunanidhi's revelation brought forth a conciliatory reaction from Krishna. He said in a statement, "...We are convinced that Mr. Karunanidhi and his government are making sincere efforts and taking necessary steps to get the hostages released safely... In our anxiety to ensure the early and safe return of Mr. Rajkumar and other hostages, we considered it prudent not to come in the way of any initiative taken by the Tamil Nadu government in this regard."

The Opposition parties grabbed the chance to embarrass the DMK government. (In January 1991, the Chandra Shekhar government at the Centre had dismissed the DMK government for allegedly passing on information to the LTTE.) All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary and former Chief Minister Jayalalitha said the DMK government had sent as emissary "a secessionist" and an LTTE supporter who had exhorted the people of the State to register themselves as Tamil nationals and not as In dian citizens during the coming census operation.

Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) leader S.R. Balasubramaniam said the choice of emissaries had engendered fears whether the State government was taking steps to forge links between Tamil extremists and LTTE supporters.

E.V.K.S. Ilangovan, president, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, said it was "wrong to have given government recognition" to the three men. Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy wanted an operation by commandos to rescue Rajkumar.

N. Sankaraiah, secretary of the State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), called it "a worrisome development" and accused the State government of allowing Tamil separatism to take roots in Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, Veerappan was unrelenting on three demands: the release of 121 detainees under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act in Mysore; the release of five men, belonging to the TNLA and the TNRT, held in prisons in Tamil Nadu; and vacating the stay on the hearings of the Justice Sadashiva Commission of Inquiry on the alleged atrocities committed by the two States' Special Task Force (STF) against people living on the fringes of the forests.

The escape from his custody of Nagappa Maradagi on September 28 further angered Veerappan. The relationship between Gopal and Veerappan was obviously under strain with Gopal acting as a no-nonsense emissary of the two governments and seeking to drive a t ough bargain with the brigand. It was in this situation that Veerappan sent two cassettes including one to Nedumaran, naming four persons to be sent: Nedumaran, Balagopal, Kalyani and Sukumaran. All four are known as human rights activists.

Informed sources said that Veerappan preferred them because he wanted "neutral representatives" who had a record of human rights activism. Besides, Veerappan felt that while Gopal could only write in his magazine, the three others could fight for his dem ands from outside.

Karunanidhi explained that the despatch of the three men was "not in opposition to Gopal but with his consent". To a specific question on whether Nedumaran was sent as a government emissary, Karunanidhi equivocated, "I have not directly sent only him as government emissary. He has gone with the government emissary Gopal. So they too become government emissaries." About fears that Nedumaran was an LTTE supporter, the Chief Minister replied that Nedumaran's Tamil National Movement was not a banned organis ation.

It was in this background that Gopal left for the forests, late in the night of October 10, with his team comprising Nakkheeran journalists P. Sivasubramanian, P. Subramanian and Balamurugan. Some hours later, Nedumaran, P. Kalyani and Sukumaran left. Th ey met at a place near the forests and waited for Veerappan's "signal" to enter the forests.

Nedumaran, Kalyani and Sukumaran, in a statement on October 10, brazenly justified some of the demands of Veerappan but said they were undertaking the mission on a "humanitarian basis". They said, "This situation has arisen because several reasonable dem ands were brushed aside." However, they said that when the two Chief Ministers asked them to help in the release of Rajkumar, they agreed. The statement said, "For several years, we have been fighting against TADA and for the protection of human rights. On that basis, we have decided to undertake this mission, heeding the two Chief Ministers' requests."

In an interview to Kamaraj published in Nakkheeran (October 13), Nedumaran parried a specific question on why Veerappan chose him. "You should ask Veerappan this question. I do not know the reason. We have accepted his invitation because we realise the s ignificance of the issue," Nedumaran said. Asked about his LTTE links, Nedumaran replied, "There are no reservations at all about my support to the LTTE. Many people like me believe that it is the LTTE which can gain independence for Eelam Tamils. There is no connection between this problem (Rajkumar's abduction) and the LTTE." He argued that it was "absurd to say that the LTTE will step into the picture just because we are involved in this".

In an article in Nakkheeran dated October 20, Gopal said the changed, tense atmosphere consequent to the escape of Nagappa Maradagi had its impact on the three remaining hostages. There was sadness on the face of Rajkumar, who had earlier adjusted himsel f to the forested surroundings. Rajkumar was found unshaven too.

Unlike on Gopal's previous missions, Veerappan this time did not allow Gopal's men to videograph the negotiations. In the negotiations, Gopal took a backseat and allowed the other three to do the talking. According to Gopal, Veerappan insisted on his thr ee demands: the release of 121 TADA detainees in Mysore; setting free of Manikandan, Satyamurthy, Muthukumar, 'radio' Venkatesan and Ponnivalavan of the TNRT and the TNLA; and getting the stay vacated on the Justice Sadashiva Commission's hearings. Nedum aran explained to Veerappan the two governments' efforts to fulfill these demands and they could not predict when the case in the Supreme Court would end. Gopal quoted Nedumaran as telling Veerappan, "It can end tomorrow or take many days. The two Chief Ministers are fulfilling their assurances... So release all the three." Sukumaran insisted that Veerappan set free Rajkumar because public animosity was building up.

Following this, there were discussions between Veerappan and his TNLA and TNRT associates, and they announced that they would set free Govindaraj. Gopal said, "The emissaries had a clear approach. The discussions took place taking into account the welfar e of the people of the two States and stressing the humanitarian angle. The result is Govindaraj's release in the first phase."

Informed sources said that Veerappan released Govindaraj because he could not possibly send back Nedumaran empty-handed.

The two teams reached Erode with Govindaraj on the night of October 16 and contacted Karunanidhi in Chennai. The Chief Minister advised them to send Govindaraj straight to Bangalore, which they did. Gopal, Nedumaran, Kalyani and Sukumaran met Karunanidhi in Chennai and briefed him about the negotiations. It was announced that they would go to Bangalore to brief Krishna, but he preferred to receive information from Karunanidhi and not meet Nedumaran.

On October 20, Rajkumar's three sons - Shiv Rajkumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar and Puneet Rajkumar - met Karunanidhi in Chennai, and thanked him for his initiatives to win their father's freedom. On the inclusion of Nedumaran in the expanded team, Shiv Rajku mar said the issue boiled down to getting their father released. "We are not worried who goes to the forest as part of the mission," he added. Later, the sons met Nedumaran and Gopal separately.

With Veerappan insisting on the fulfilment of his three demands and the Supreme Court declaring that "at the moment, we are certainly not inclined to allow the release of the associates of Veerappan", the issue of the release of Rajkumar and Nagesh is as dicey as it could be.