The news of gory end to Nagappa’s kidnapping

M.M. HILLS, Kollegal: Last Sunday when word spread about the arrival of another cassette from Veerappan’s hideout, everybody anticipated an ultimatum from the brigand urgently seeking an emissary to negotiate former minister H. Nagappa’s release.
On the contrary, the message spoke of an encounter between Veerappan and the Tamil Nadu STF. That shocked hordes of Nagappa’s supporters.
And finally when Gundlupet MLA Mahadev Prasad announced, "Something dangerous has happened...’’, swarms of villagers rushed towards Chengadi forest area as if on impulse. Presspersons didn’t stay behind.
When we reached Koudalli village off the Hanur-M.M. Hills Road, it was around 4 pm. Chengadi was still 27 km away. Around us was a wall of trees and tangled branches. A queasy chill enveloped the gathering as we drove on further.
At Chengadi, we learnt that hundreds of followers of Nagappa, led by his trusted lieutenant Ponnachi Mahadevswamy and taluk panchayat member Nagendra, had already entered the forest. Another anxious group had camped along a tank-bed on the outskirts of the village.
Where could they find their leader? They had drawn conclusions based on the contents of the cassette. North-east, said some, in the belief that the area was easy for the "TN STF to enter Karnataka territory’’. North-west, others argued. Finally, the followers split into three groups, the third of the band going down south. It was early evening already and the depths of the forest seemed forbidding. But the impassioned men trekked along in an exhibition of courage and discipline.
Around 6.30 pm, the sun had already set and nothing but the rustle of feet on dry twigs and the buzz of insects could be heard.
Suddenly, screams shot through the darkness and virtually all of the 60-member team led by Mahadevswamy stopped in their tracks, horrified. "Ella mugeetrappo!’’ (It’s all over!) yelled Lingaraju, a supporter. It didn’t take time for all gathered to surmise what had happened.
The worst, it was.
All those around rushed with flaming torches in their hand and saw Lingaraju frozen in shock beside their leader’s body. Almost instantly, the forest was drowned in piercing wails.
Within minutes, bands of people came running from the village. STF personnel also landed. But the men in uniform were reluctant to touch the highly decomposed and bloated body. K. Arkesh, SP of the STF, then coaxed the villagers — some of whom looked around tentatively — to wrap the body in plastic sheets that were lying around. The swollen body was too big for the aluminium stretcher.
Some men then swung into action and built a makeshift bamboo plank.
When the plank was ready, there were no stretcher-bearers forthcoming from the police. But Nagappa’s men decided not to argue over the matter and proceeded towards Chengadi carrying the body and crying inconsolably all the way.
When the body reached Ramapura it was 4 am. Scores of weeping villagers had been waiting all night in the vicinity of the hospital there. Not much later, Nagappa’s daughters Pavan and Priyanka and his son-in-law Kiran Patel reached there.
Meanwhile, at Kamagere, a pall of gloom had descended on Nagappa’s farmhouse and hundreds of his supporters were waiting outside for the arrival of Nagappa’s wife, Parimala, who had been to M.M. Hills following another message that her husband had been rescued. When she returned to Kamagere crestfallen and dazed, the women around couldn’t hold their grief and began cursing the police. Some irate men started attacking policemen and government vehicles.
The rest became news...
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