Bangalore: Elusive forest bandit Veerappan, India's most wanted criminal, is ready
to surrender provided he is given amnesty by a Presidential decree, according to a
Janata Dal – United (JD-U) leader, who twice clandestinely met him during the recent
Nagappa hostage drama.
Kollegal JD-U leader Ponnachi Mahadevaswamy said on December 30 that during his
meetings with the brigand in the jungles when former minister H Nagappa was in his
custody, Veerappan expressed his desire to lay down arms and join the mainstream if
he was given amnesty.
Mahadevaswamy quoted the bandit, who is carrying a reward of Rs 2 crore on his head
announced by Karnataka government, as saying that he was ready to surrender in the
presence of Defence Minister George Fernandes, Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna
and Suttur mutt seer.
Fernandes commands a lot a respect from the bandit, according to him.
Mahadevaswamy, speaking after releasing a book by Ravindra Joshi who claimed to
throw light on the death in mysterious and tragic circumstances of Nagappa in the
captivity of Veerappan, alleged that the Karnataka government did not make sincere
efforts to secure the JD-U leader's release.
Neither is the government now keen to unravel the truth surrounding his death, he
claimed.
Charging Minister for Agro-Processing Raju Gowda with links with the brigand,
Mahadevaswamy said the former should either resign or the government must drop him
and he should be subjected to an enquiry.
PTI
