Koose Muniswamy Veerappan’s funeral took place on Wednesday, at a family burial plot in Moolakudu, Tamil Nadu.
The BBC’s Sunil Raman says the police decided not to bury Veerappan in his native village in neighbouring Karnataka state fearing trouble from the large crowds that had gathered there.
“We have been orphaned,” cried the bandit’s wife, Muthulakshmi, as she clung to her teenage daughters Prabha and Vidya Rani at the funeral.
The following sentence made me pause, and wonder if something similar would’ve occurred in this country. Though the gesture was touching, I think not:
The bandit’s elder brother was allowed out from a life term in jail for aiding Veerappan to attend the rites. He laid a garland as he was closely guarded by police.
I’m also insanely curious about why he was buried vs cremated. Would anyone more knowledgeable care to edify a girl who gets curious about the most pointless things? If so, please leave a comment. 🙂
Though some professed relief about the bandit’s demise, others experienced an opposite set of emotions; said Ravi, a man who went to view Veerappan’s body before its burial,
“God will punish those policemen. Veerappan was a good man and he helped the poor,” he told the BBC.
Would anyone more knowledgeable care to edify a girl who gets curious about the most pointless things?
Naaaahhhhhhhh 🙂
Though some professed relief about the banditÂ’s demise, others experienced an opposite set of emotions; said Ravi, a man who went to view VeerappanÂ’s body before its burial ..
It’s the caste shit again. If memory serves, demands had been made from various political parties seeking an amnesty for Veerappan. PMK founder S. Ramadoss, who belongs to Veerappan’s Vannyiar caste, as well as the pro-Dalit Puthiya Thamizhagam’s leader K. Krishnaswamy had demanded an amnesty for the brigand. Helping the poor = helping the lower castes. Well, that should explain why political parties had been wary of nabbing Veepappan.
Hey anna,
this link explains why he was buried. http://www.hindu.com/2004/10/21/stories/2004102108640100.htm
thank you, shunyashakti! 😀
after randombrownguy sweetly disappointed me, your link was quite welcome. 😉
Burial instead of cremation is usually practiced among some Tribal communities in India, though in particular cases, like that of Thyagaraja, a person who acquires saint status may be buried, usually sitting cross-legged. There was a huge controversy when B. Nagratamma, a very famous musician, coming from the Devadasi tradition died, some people wanted her buried, others not, where, how, and then throw in Tamil politics etc. So the body kept getting shifted around in a macabre drama. I don’t know if this is just true of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, because I have not heard of this up in the north. Thanks to Shunyashakti for that url, it seems Veerapan’s funeral was not without controversy either.
Isn’t this the same dude who was hiding in the woods for the past 2 decades, and the police couldn’t find him? How did he manage to produce two offsprings? When my mom told me the news.. I was like.. “Ya whatevaaa!!” but thanks for helping me beleive Annachy.. So he IS dead! – and also.. Did you know that “Life sentence” in India is like 12 or 13 yrs! HA! What a joke!
I dont think that he should be killed
i think what happened with veerappan was something that was just waiting to happen all these years. he may have been good to the poor, but he sure wasnt to all those poor tuskers he killed. personally, it was something that was coming to him.
My question is why Koose Muniswamy VeerappanÂ’s was burried? His name indicates that he was probally Hindu then he should have been burnt???? Any feedback will be appreciated. Farook Kansas City USA