Indian minister's family demand inquiry

Nagappa's death has sparked an outcry in Karnataka

By Habib Beary BBC reporter in Bangalore

Relatives of a former state minister in India are asking for a top-level investigation into his murder.

The body of Hannur Nagappa, a former minister in the southern state of Karnataka, was found in a forest on Sunday.

A preliminary report indicated he had been shot at point-blank range.

Nagappa: Debate over who really killed him

Mr Nagappa was held hostage for more than three months by the bandit Veerappan, who said the former minister was shot when police fired on his gang.

That claim was denied. The authorities suspect Veerappan is to blame.

Mr Nagappa's family says only an inquiry by India's Central Bureau of Investigation will unravel the truth.

"Nothing can be ruled out," said Dr Kiran Patil, Mr Nagappa's son-in-law, after police retrieved 27 empty cartridges near where his body was found.

Unhappy

The presence of cartridges fired from an AK-47 has fueled speculation that Mr Nagappa may have been killed in cross-fire with police, or by a third party, relatives say.

Nothing can be ruled out - we are conducting our own investigations

Dr Kiran Patil, son-in-law

"We are conducting our own investigations," said Dr Patil, who is unhappy with the way the government handled the crisis.

PGR Sindhia, the former Karnataka home minister and party colleague of Mr Nagappa, said the CBI had the expertise to investigate the case, which involves two states - Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

But Karnataka's Chief Minister SM Krishna has ruled out a CBI inquiry, saying investigations are being conducted by a Special Task Force.

Reward

Meanwhile, a war of words is going on between the leaders of the two states over whether the Tamil Nadu police were responsible for Mr Nagappa's death.

Veerappan nursed a grudge against Nagappa

And there has been a public outcry for Veerappan's head.

The bandit, whose capture carries a reward of 20m rupees, has eluded a police dragnet for nearly two decades.

Autopsy report indicate that Mr Nagappa died on Wednesday, four days before his body was found.

What has added to the mystery is the fact that there were no signs that his body had been scavenged by animals.

Police officials admit that the bandit nursed a grudge against Mr Nagappa, who as minister in the previous government had sought to crackdown on the bandit's activities.