'Favourable' response to bandit demands

Thousands protested against the kidnapping

Government officials in southern India say they will respond favourably to most of the demands made by bandit Veerappan in return for the safe release of a film star he kidnapped a week ago.

At a news conference in Madras, the chief ministers of the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka said the bandit had made 10 demands after the kidnap of the film star Rajkumar - mostly related to grievances of his own Tamil community.

Rajkumar is a legend in Karnataka

The actor and three relatives were kidnapped in Tamil Nadu last Sunday.

The demands are said to include more water for Tamil Nadu farmers, the dropping of criminal cases against some of Veerappan's associates, and making Tamil an administrative language in Karnataka.

Senior officials said on Saturday that Veerappan was also demanding a cash ransom and full pardon for all charges against him.

However, there was no mention of the ransom demand in Sunday's statement.

Audiocassette

On Friday, the authorities were given an audio cassette in which Rajkumar appealed to the authorities to grant Veerappan an amnesty.

Veerappan and his gang have been active in the jungles of southern India for 20 years.

He also appealed to police not to attempt an armed rescue operation and called on his fans to keep calm.

I and my colleagues have not been harmed by Veerappan and everybody is being looked after well.

Rajkumar

The kidnapping triggered sporadic violence and a general strike in Karnataka's state capital, Bangalore.

"I am safe. Veerappan has been looking after me well. It [the abduction] is just an accident,'' Rajkumar said in the message recorded in the bandit's forest hideout in southern India.

Rajkumar belongs to the Kannadiga community, the dominant group in Karnataka, while Veerappan is a Tamil.

Veerappan and his gang, said to number about 15, have terrorised police and forest authorities in three southern Indian states - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala - for nearly two decades.

Now in his mid-fifties, Veerappan is accused of killing more than 100 people and smuggling millions of dollars worth of sandalwood and ivory.