BENGALURU:“We lost our proud son, we were confident that Rajanna would get justice.We could not get justice for him even after his death.” This statement by a villager sums up the mood of the people of Gajanur, the native place of Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar.
After the Tamil Nadu Court acquitted all the nine members in the Rajkumar abduction case for lack of evidence by the prosecution, the gloom has set in, not only in the family, but also among the villagers.
Although, the abduction case is 18 years old, with thespian Rajkumar passing away in 2006 and forest Brigand Veerappan and gang members being eliminated in an encounter, the case had created curiosity among many about the court verdict. Rajanna was kidnapped from Gajanur by Veerappan and his gang on July 10, 2000, and kept captive in the woods for 108 days. He was released after negotiations.
Balaiah, known to Rajkumar for years, said that cops should have probed the role of the local people as it would be difficult for Veerappan to strike alone .
Rajkumar’s cousin Rajgopal feels that the lack of political will is one of the reasons for the acquittal in the case. He said that the charge sheet was filed ten years after the abduction, and Parvathamma, Rajkumar’s wife, could not depose before the court due to ill health . However, the case would have been different if Appaji or Veerappan would have been alive.
Rajshekar, a shopkeeper, said, “It is sad that Annavaru could not get justice after his death.” He further said the case had lost its seriousness over several years, and was only talked about during the last ten days following newspaper reports.
Meanwhile, villagers of Gajanur said that both the Karnataka and the Tamil Nadu governments failed to keep their promise to build a memorial for the actor. His ancestral house lying abandoned is testimony of government callousness. They said they were not against the verdict, but, disappointed with the authorities and the government with the way they handled the case.