Kidnapping of Rajkumar

Kannada film actor Rajkumar was abducted to forest by Indian dacoit Veerappan on 28 July 2000 during the course of an armed attack on a farmhouse belonging to the actor in Gajanur, Tamil Nadu, India.[1] Rajkumar was released by Veerappan on 15 November 2000 after spending 108 days in his custody.[2] The kidnapping resulted in the further deterioration of already strained relations between the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and created a tense situation in the two states.[3]

Background

Kidnapping people and ransoming them for political favours was always been a part of Veerappan's modus operandi. In 1997, Veerappan kidnapped nine forest officials at Marapala in the Burude forests of Kollegala taluk and demanded an official pardon from the government in return for releasing them. However, the hostages were eventually released after 7 weeks in captivity with no concessions to Veerappan's demands.

According to Rajkumar's son, Raghavendra Rajkumar, the Special Task Force (STF) appointed to capture Veerappan, had warned him about the possibility of an abduction a year prior to his eventual capture.[4] But Rajkumar had ignored them[4] joking that by kidnapping him, Veerappan would get nothing more than "a shirt and a dhoti".[1]

Attack and abduction

At about 9.30 pm on 30 July 2000, Veerappan attacked Rajkumar's farmhouse in Gajanur in Tamil Nadu with an armed band of 10 or 12 men.[4] Rajkumar had travelled to Gajanur on 27 July 2000 to conduct the house-warming ceremony for a new house that he had constructed. Rajkumar had just finished dinner when Veerappan and his gang barged in.[4]

According to Parvathamma Rajkumar, wife of Rajkumar, Rajkumar and his family members were watching television when Veerappan entered the house and asked in Kannada, "We want sir!"[1] They led Rajkumar out of the house, and into the pouring rain. [1] Once they were outside, Veerappan questioned Rajkumar about the other people in the house. Based on this information, Veerappan returned to the house and also kidnapped Rajkumar's son-in-law S.A. Govindaraj, another relative, Nagesh, and Nagappa, an assistant film director.[1]

The Inspector-General of Police, Tamil Nadu, M. Balachandran and Commander of the STF, Harshavardhan Raju were at a meeting in Dimbum, 55-kilometres from Rajkumar's farmhouse in Gajanur at the time of the abduction.[4] Based on a tip-off that Veerappan would be visiting a Hindu temple in Dimbum, they laid a trap to capture him.[4]

Notes
  1. Jayaraman, A. (1 August 2000). "Veerappan kidnaps Rajkumar, three others". The Hindu.
  2. "Death of a legendary bandit". BBC. 18 October 2004.
  3. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2000/09/kid-s11.html
  4. Sharma, Ravi (5–18 August 2000). "Veerappan's prize catch". Frontline. 17 (16).

References
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