NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Rediff Shopping

Shop & gift from thousands of products!   Books     Music       Apparel   Jewellery   Flowers   More..      Safe Shopping

Kidnapping exposes Karnataka police

Fakir Chand in Bangalore

The kidnapping of Kannada actor Dr Rajkumar has again exposed the state police, and Chief Minister S M Krishna will be under pressure to revamp the special task force, which has been searching in vain for Veerappan for over a decade. "It is a sad reflection that the Veerappan menace continues to haunt us," said a state home ministry official.

Veerapan has proudly admitted to killing over a 100 people, including several police officials mostly in Karnataka. The inability to capture the sandalwood smuggler has exposed a lack of political will and gross inadequacies in the police force.

Veerappan's offer to lay down arms after seeking general amnesty and a ransom of Rs 5 crore was rejected by the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu a year ago.

According to police sources, the mustachioed brigand nurses ambitions of a political career in Tamil Nadu, where his backward class community, the Gounders, are electorally strong. It is this vote bank that was apparently behind Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's attempt to reform Veerappan.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report