Mysuru: Veerappan's men taste freedom

Mysuru: It was an emotional moment for four associates of slain brigand Veerappan-Anburaj, Siddan alias Thupaki Siddan, Thangaraju and Appuswamy- who were among the 52 life convict released prematurely based on their good conduct on the occasion of the 70th Independence day here on Monday. While the men had completed 14 years behind bars, the women had completed ten years.

For 34-year-old Anburaj, the occasion was particularly delightful as his wife, a fellow life convict, had walked out along with their eight month old baby (born in jail)  on the occasion of Republic Day earlier this year. Anburaj had married a fellow convict Revathi, during parole after they fell in love and the couple were blessed with a baby girl in jail.

According to Advocate and Director of People’s Legal Forum, Mr Baburaj, “Anbu, a school dropout from Pudukaadu, in Bhavani taluk in Tamil Nadu, was grazing sheep along with his friends when he was picked up by forest brigand Veerappan and used to carry rice and other raw material for him. After a shootout, Veerappan made Anbu, Siddan, Thangaraju and Appuswamy to surrender to the police.”

Anbu, pursued his SSLC, did his MA and even a diploma course in journalism in prison. He was in fact made editor of ‘Rangavani’, a newspaper in Mysuru for a month. He also became part of Sankalpa theatre group of Hulugappa Kattimani.

According to Mr Baburaj, Anbu was 17 years when he was arrested and attempts to file a petition in the high court went futile, as according to the Juvenile Justice Act 1986, the age limit for boys is 16.

Revathi was 16 at the time of her arrest. She had moved to Bengaluru from Chennai and was  set to be trafficked to Mumbai for domestic work. When she resisted, she was stabbed in the shoulder, and in turn she stabbed her attacker who died. After she was arrested, she was sentenced to a life term.