Brigadier' Veerappan goes online

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Brigadier' Veerappan goes online

The Times of India News Service

BANGALORE/CHENNAI: A website on Veerappan's ``virtues'' and the

background of his Tamil extremist leanings has been put up allegedly

by the Tamil Nadu Liberation Front (TNLF), under the aegis of

Dalitstan organisation that claims to be a champion of human rights.

The website confers on Veerappan the title of ``Brigadier'' for his

services in providing a safe haven for pan-Tamil militants and

bringing the Tamil National Liberation Army (TNLA) and its leader,

the ``true Tamil warrior'' Maran, to world limelight through the

abduction of Kannada film star Rajkumar.

A detailed map ascribed to the TNLF research division graphically

portrays the ambitious limits of ``Greater Tamil Nadu'', which

include the whole of Kerala, parts of Karnataka, including Mangalore,

Mysore and Kolar, and parts of Andhra Pradesh, including AP CM N.

Chandrababu Naidu's home district Chittoor.

The ``Moral World of Veerappan'', an entire section, quotes

extensively from the Nakkeeran tapes of 1996, where the sandalwood

smuggler justifies his way of life and his crimes: ``I hunt. What

for? Because of the condition of my family...There is no other means

for my family to survive...''

Veerappan claims that he indulged in sandalwood smuggling only for 11

months and gave away to villagers whatever money he got out of it.

His defence of the elephants he killed is even more interesting:

``King Dasharathan killed a thousand elephants to beget a son. I, to

quench my hunger...''

Veerappan takes offence at the ``sandalwood smuggler'' tag to his

name. Alleging that a local MLA was smuggling rosewood everyday from

the forest, for which the forest checkposts ``magically open'', he

asks: ``Why don't you prefix his name also with Rosewood?''

Surprisingly, Veerappan makes an impassioned plea against militancy

``unmitigated by justice'' as the website puts it. ``You plant bombs

in buses, in roads, in houses, who gets killed? Women and children.

Two-year old, four-year old children, with their limb torn away, cry

out for their parents... My heart burns. This is not right. It is

sinful. Poor people like us get killed.''

The site, however, had another separate section devoted to ``Warfare

Manuals: Guides to Combat'', which was removed on Friday because of

adverse publicity.

Direct links to Eelam Web, the website of the Liberation Tigers of

Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the site has LTTE press releases, photographs of

its ``struggle'' in Sri Lanka, ideology, details, maps and radio

broadcasts. A photograph of LTTE supremo V. Prabhakaran ``graces''

the masthead.

The site also has anti-Hindi and anti-Sanskrit write-ups in the Tamil

and other press and a full copy of the confidential Arakesh report

submitted to the Karnataka government.