(RSF/IFEX) – Police in Tamil Nadu state (south-eastern India) have been attempting, by every possible means, to arrest R. R. Gopal, editor of the Tamil-language twice-weekly magazine “Nakkheeran”, because of his alleged ties with the wanted bandit Veerappan. RSF has asked Tamil Nadu state police and government officials to stop harassing “Nakkheeran”‘s editorial staff. The […]
(RSF/IFEX) – Police in Tamil Nadu state (south-eastern India) have been attempting, by every possible means, to arrest R. R. Gopal, editor of the Tamil-language twice-weekly magazine “Nakkheeran”, because of his alleged ties with the wanted bandit Veerappan.
RSF has asked Tamil Nadu state police and government officials to stop harassing “Nakkheeran”‘s editorial staff. The organisation believes that the publication’s editor and journalists are being targeted because of their coverage of Veerappan’s gang’s activities. “The police are incapable of arresting Veerappan, so instead they are attacking journalists who have met with him. What they are doing is dangerous and reprehensible,” RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said in a letter to the Tamil Nadu government’s chief minister, Selvi J. Jayalalithaa.
On 22 February 2003, officers from Tamil Nadu’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) interrogated Chinna Kuththoosi, a popular Tamil-language editorial writer, for nearly three hours, as part of their efforts to locate Gopal. The editor is currently in hiding. Police have issued a warrant for his arrest. No one knows what charges may be pending against the journalist, but the government accuses him of being in contact with Veerappan.
In 2000, at the authorities’ request, Gopal had agreed to meet with Veerappan to negotiate the release of Rajkumar, an actor. The police, who have so far been unsuccessful in their hunt for Veerappan and his gang, have since taken at least three “Nakkheeran” journalists into custody. Journalist Sivasubramanian has been behind bars in neighbouring Karnataka state since November 2001, accused of being an accomplice of Veerappan’s gang.
Moreover, according to a local human rights organisation, Jayalalithaa’s government has brought 23 complaints for libel against various Indian publications, including the daily newspapers “The Hindu” and “Dhinakaran”.
