Cops say he was killed, govt says he is absconding

P C Vinoj Kumar   |   Mettur

15-December-2010

Vol 1 | Issue 15

Contradictory statements provided by two senior Karnataka officials on the fate of Murugan, a resident of Devara Malai in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district, who was arrested by the Special Task Force on 12 June 1993, has provided fresh material for human rights activists to renew charges of fake encounters against police personnel involved in the search operations to apprehend forest brigand Veerappan.

In the early 1990s, the States of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had constituted a Joint Special Task Force (JSTF) to nab Veerappan, who was wanted for several cases of murder, elephant poaching and sandalwood smuggling. During the operations that continued till Veerappan was killed in an alleged encounter near Dharmapuri in 2004, the JSTF was accused of fake encounters, torture, and rape of villagers in the forests frequented by the brigand.
 

Murugan’s wife Dodda Thayammal (extreme right) continues to wear her thaali (mangalsutra) believing her husband is still alive somewhere

Expressing its opinion on the charges of fake encounters, the Justice Sadashiva Panel, which probed the allegations against the JSTF, noted: “The allegations made by some witnesses regarding the veracity of the encounters, as recorded by the police, cannot be totally brushed aside as baseless.”

However, not a single policeman was punished. The panel stated that it was impossible “at this stage and distance of time, to fix the identity of the police personnel involved in the allegations which have been held as true as far as the injuries suffered by the victims are concerned, more particularly where it was admitted by some witnesses that they were kept blindfolded.”

Now, Mettur based activist A Aruldoss of People’s Watch plans to approach the court for ordering an inquiry into the killing or disappearance of Murugan, based on copies of two vital documents that he has obtained from sources in Karnataka.

“We want to get to the bottom of Murugan’s disappearance. Was he killed by Karnataka police as claimed by senior police officer Shankar Bidari (who was heading STF then) or is he still at large as claimed by D’ Souza Robinson, then Law Secretary, Government of Karnataka? What is the truth? Let the government order an inquiry and find out,” says Aruldoss.

Shankar Bidari is presently Commissioner of Bangalore City Police. Aruldoss has copy of an official document in which Bidari lists out Veerappan’s gang members arrested or killed by the STF under his leadership. The 60th name in the list is that of Murugan – who, it is mentioned “died in an encounter” on 23rd of October 1995. It is also stated that a reward amount of Rs.10 lakhs each was due from both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Governments for killing Murugan.

However, in a letter dated 2nd May 2005, to the National Human Rights Commission, D’ Souza, the then Law Secretary, Government of Karnataka, maintains that Karnataka police never arrested Murugan. Arguing that Karnataka police cannot be held responsible for his disappearance, he states that Murugan may be absconding.

Murugan’s mother Madamma told The Weekend Leader that her son, along with her husband, were arrested by a police team on 12 June 1993 and taken to MM Hills police station. Corroborating her version, Murugan’s wife said she had met her husband a few months after his arrest. He told her the police planned to take him to Mysore jail. “I never saw him again,” she says.

Aruldoss says Murugan and his father were running a tea stall in their village and may have carried foodgrains to Veerappan’s gang under compulsion. “In those days, Veerappan’s writ ran in the forest. No one could defy his orders.” Henry Tiphangne, Executive Director of People’s Watch said they would consider legal options in the case.