Two new emissaries to meet Kolathur Mani in Bellary

BANGALORE: A day after jailed Tamil activist Kolathur Mani recorded an appeal to Veerappan for unconditional release of abducted former Minister H Nagappa, two more ``unofficial'''' emissaries - Kalyani and Sukumaran - arrived in Bangalore on Sunday.
They are expected to leave for Bellary on Monday to meet Mani, who is lodged in the jail there. Sources told The Times of India that Kalyani and Sukumaran recently called on Tamil activist P.Nedumaran at the Cuddalore jail in Tamil Nadu.
Veerappan has asked for Nedumaran and Mani as emissaries from Karnataka to negotiate Nagappa''s release. Kalyani and Sukumaran were part of the five-member group which secured the release of actor Rajkumar from Veerappan''s clutches two years ago.
Kalyani and Sukumaran wanted to get Nedumaran to record a message to Veerappan, but the Tamil Nadu government did not allow them. They then discussed the issue with him in detail.
The Karnataka government''s security adviser, T. Srinivasulu, will accompany them to Bellary. After the meeting with Mani, sources said, there is a possibility of all the four - Nedumaran, Mani, Kalyani and Sukumaran - issuing a joint appeal to Veerappan to release Nagappa on humanitarian grounds.
``Karnataka DGP V V Bhaskar''s statement that Veerappan''s informants will be booked under KCOCA (Karnataka''s version of POTA) has harmed the negotiation process to a large extent. Now nobody wants to come forward for the fear of being booked like this later,'''' sources contended.
Quoting the example of Nakkeeran editor R R Gopal, who was given an undertaking by the Karnataka government that no cases would be booked against him for going into the forest, sources said: ``Nakkeeran journalist Shivasubramanium is in a Karnataka jail, while Gopal is himself facing a court case. Why should anybody take the risk after this?''''
In this background, it is learnt that Kalyani and Sukumaran''s meeting with Mani will take place only after they get ``some kind assurance'''' from the Karnataka government that they will not be harassed in a similar fashion lataer.
``Both are also ready to go into the forest and complete negotiations with Veerappan within a week, provided the government agrees to their conditions of an assurance in the presence of some representatives from the media and the judiciary,'''' sources stated.
Meanwhile, with STF operations completely withdrawn, Nagappa''s wife Parimala and the family members who had threatened to stage an indefinite dharna from Monday have dropped the idea. All top police officials who were camping in Gundal have returned to Bangalore.