Bangalore: Twenty-seven empty fired cartridges, suspected to be of AK-47 rifle, were
recovered on December 11 by Karnataka special task force men within 300 to 500 yards
from where the body of Janata Dal – United (JD-U) leader H Nagappa was found in the
Chengadi forests in Chamarajnagar district but only an investigation would reveal
whether he was killed in an encounter or not, a top police official said.
Karnataka director general of police T Madiyal said the STF personnel also recovered
personal belongings of Nagappa which were intact in a bag and provisions bundled in
one bed-sheet.
Asked if the recovery of the cartridges indicated that Nagappa was killed in an
encounter, Madiyal it was "premature" to point a finger in that direction, adding
only an investigation, which was in progress, would reveal the truth.
Veerappan had in his sixth cassette claimed that he and Nagappa were injured in an
encounter with Tamil Nadu STF, a charge strongly denied by Tamil Nadu.
Karnataka has maintained that until an ongoing probe was over, it cannot say whether
Nagappa was shot dead by Veerappan or he was killed in an encounter.
The search party was led by Karnataka STF commander Jyothi Prakash Mirji.
PTI
