New Delhi, January 2
The Centre today agreed to extend help to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, including despatch of the elite National Security Guards (NSG) to nab Veerappan.
An assurance to this effect came during a meeting held between Union Home Ministry officials and representatives of the two state governments.
“We discussed the joint strategy, plan of action and the level of cooperation. The Centre has assured to provide whatever needed within 15 days”, Tamil Nadu STF chief R. Natarajan told newspersons after a two-hour coordination committee meeting here.
Chaired by Special Secretary (Home) Ashok Bhandari, the meeting was attended, among others, by senior police officials from both states, representative officials from the Army and the Air Force and Karnataka STF chief Jyoti Prakash Mirji.
The meeting came a day after Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna, who is under pressure following the death of JD(U) leader H Nagappa, declared that their new year resolve was “to end the menace of the bandit” who carries a reward of Rs 5 crore on his head.
Though the STF chiefs refused to divulge what sort of assistance they sought from the Centre, sources said they demanded the NSG forces, and Air Force helicopters to keep track of the bandit.
Mr Natarajan said the STFs spelt out the difficulties faced by them in nabbing the outlaw and sought assistance from other agencies in their task.
Dismissing suggestions that there was lack of coordination between both states, he said: “There is very good coordination at the ground level. We are confident that we will be able to catch him”.
Asked whether any deadline had been set by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to achieve the task, he said: “Our intention is to catch him as fast as possible”.
Karnataka has already requested the Centre to provide sophisticated weapons, including deployment of forces, to hunt the poacher-smuggler.
Mr Krishna had stated yesterday that “We have to take tough decisions on Veerappan. We have to go all out to end the menace which has brought a blot on the otherwise good image of the state”.
