Krishna doles out promises

The Karnataka government today went on damage-control, offering a white paper on the 106-day hostage crisis that led to the death of H. Naga...

The Karnataka government today went on damage-control, offering a white paper on the 106-day hostage crisis that led to the death of H. Nagappa and a special legislature session to discuss the tragedy.

Home Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge said the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka STF had intensified operations to nab Veerappan. Asked if the Tamil Nadu STF was responsible for Nagappa’s death, as the bandit had claimed in his cassette, Kharge said nothing could be said till the investigation was over.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister D.B. Chandre Gowda said the first two days of the six-day legislature session beginning December 23 would discuss the hostage crisis and the government efforts to save Nagappa.

The Opposition had demanded a special session and a white paper earlier but the government had said the details were too sensitive to be made public. ‘‘Now the government would like to inform the public,’’ Chandre Gowda said.

The Opposition, however, kept up the pressure. While JD(S) leader A. Lakshmisagar asked Chief Minister S.M. Krishna and Kharge to resign, the BJP announced a statewide protest on Friday.

The state Congress defended Krishna, accusing the Opposition of waiting for Nagappa’s death to play politics. ‘‘It was the Opposition that wanted the withdrawal of STF operations against Veerappan soon after Nagappa’s kidnap,’’ KPCC general secretaries P.M. Ashok and Prakash Rathod said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Security Adviser T. Srinivasulu held discussions on Monday night with Tamil Nadu STF chief Waltar Dawaram to draw up a joint strategy, officials said.

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STF sources said the forests at Madheswaran Hills, Sirumugai, Pandipur, Sathy, Thengumarahada and the area around Chengadi village, where Nagappa’s body was found, were being searched. Srinivasulu said today that except for Kollegal and Ramapura, the state was calm after yesterday’s unrest. The BSF’s help in the combing operations was not required, he said.

Dawaram said the Tamil Nadu STF had spread out in nine groups as Veerappan was feared to have entered the state’s forests. Tamil Nadu ADGP R. Nataraj said the STFs of both the states were in touch with the Centre for additional support and that his men were in no way connected to Nagappa’s death.