ERODE: Eleven years after Kannada actor Rajkumar was abducted by forest bandit Veerappan, which had put Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on the boil for 108 days, the first batch of prosecution witnesses in the case were examined on Thursday at a Fast Track Court in Gobichettipalaym, Erode district.Incidentally, both the kidnapper and his hostage are no longer alive. While Veerappan was shot dead in October 2004, Rajkumar passed away two years later in April 2006.On Thursday, seven of the 10 witnesses who were summoned deposed before the Fast Track Court Judge Krishnan. Rajkumar’s wife Parvathamma, who was cited as a witness, did not turn up in court. Those examined included the late actor’s son-in-law Govindaraj, Thalavadi village administrative officer Gopal, the film star’s aides Nagesh, Nagaraj and Kantharaj, and housemaids Selvi and Deepa.Veerappan had abducted Rajkumar from his farm house in Thottagajanur in Thalavadi village atop the Sathyamangalam hills on July 31, 2000. The bandit and his gang, which included some Tamil extremists, had also abducted Govindaraj, Nagappa and Nagesh.The abduction had brought life to a standstill for three days in Karnataka where Rajkumar has a fanatic fan following. Over the next three months governments of the two states were on tenterhooks and normal life was repeatedly affected in Karnataka with bandhs becoming common. Veerappan had put forth several demands to release his most prized hostage ever. The TN government repeatedly sent emissaries to meet the brigand.The prosecution has mentioned 96 witnesses in the case. The case was posted for further witness examination on Friday.
Comments
0 comment