CHENNAI, AUG 19: There is no word yet from the journalist-emissary R R Gopal on whether he has established contact with the outlawed Veerappan in the forest, even as the deadline set by the brigand for the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments to meet his demands elapsed today.Gopal's office here said it was awaiting information on his mission to the jungles to negotiate the release of Kannada filmstar Rajkumar and three others held hostage since July 30.In Bangalore, Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna, who reviewed the situation, later told reporters that he was awaiting information from his counterpart in Tamil Nadu.A Designated Court in Mysore accepted the prosecution's plea to drop TADA charges against 51 people jailed for the last five or six years for allegedly aiding Veerappan. The government has said it would not oppose their bail petitions to enable their release, as demanded by the outlaw.Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Government chose to maintain an enigmatic silence on the situation, as the crisis was poised to complete three weeks without any resolution in sight.Gopal is carrying documents from both governments on the action taken so far to meet the demands, but one pertaining to the release of five Tamil extremists is still defying a solution as the ultras have refused to seek bail but are insisting on withdrawal of all cases against them. The government is still examining the issue.
