K. VijayVeerappan: Chasing The Brigand

Should be titled "CHEATING THE BRIGAND". Very biased and embellished. A non fiction full of fiction, a tale of treachery and a book full of backstabbings and planting moles.ThIs book about a brigand is dedicated to the ultimate brigand of TN, a convicted criminal who swindled public money whom the author calls "ma'am".Not a single word about STF atrocities in the jungle. The author states in he acknowledgement "I wanted this book to read like a thriller", he has miserably failed.

This is a definitely a well-written & fast-paced account of the two decades-old pursuit & elimination of South India's notorious forest brigand, Veerappan, who could operate freely as a sandalwood smuggler, elephant poacher & kidnapper, defying the police forces of the three states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & Kerala. The author, a high-ranking IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, with an impressive track record, fired by an obvious love for his chosen service ( he is one of the few who chose to remain in IPS after qualifying for the higher-ranked IAS ), was appointed as the chief of Tamil Nadu STF in Oct, '03 & through careful & detailed ground-level work, he was able to lure the elusive dacoit to a hamlet outside Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu & liquidate him & his close cohorts in an encounter in 0ct, '04. The author has taken liberties while recounting Veerappan's life, as he reconstructs the outlaw's deeds & even thoughts from his interviews with various people involved & official records. In the process, the reader is treated to an absorbing fare of facts & fiction ,associated with the cat & mouse game of capturing Veerappan which went on for two decades. The book's biggest take-away is the fascinating insights it provides into the nitty- gritty of police work, a thankless job at most times, rendered more so in this case, as Veerappan did command support from local population & cultivated a convenient Robin Hood type image. Vijay Kumar is able to draw a sympathetic portrait of the men of the police forces from both the states involved in tracking Veerappan, often with adverse results. The late Smt. Jayalalitha, the CM of Tamil Nadu , also emerges from the account as a firm & resolute leader, keen on supporting the police forces in their efforts. The book provides fascinating insights into certain incidents of Veerappan's career such as the kidnapping of the Kannada matinee idol, Rajkumar, which had attracted lot of media attention & tested the leaderships of both states. Vijay Kumar's non-linear style of narration, of flitting between past& present, can be at times a bit disconcerting. But the book is an unputdownable account of the resolution of one of the most intractable law & order issues caused by a single individual. That way, it is a cautionary tale of both shame & gain.

I read it in a stretch of 10 hours..my heart was pounding fast even while reading the epilogue. Nuggets of wisdom everywhere..The author K.VIjay Kumar I.P.S. has lucidly narrated the events and takes us through the journey into the psyche of Veerappan , general public, media, political leadership, and of the cadres of STF, State Police and BSF. I understood that weakening the enemy psychologically is more important for ultimate victory. The government has the upper hand when it has a strict "no negotiation policy" with anti-social elements who blackmail the government to yield to their demands. But when the emotional and gullible Public react and the media fans public sentiments, the political leadership is forced to make decisions which deride the sacrifices of the Personnel who put their lives at risk. It requires tremendous leadership to lead the forces in these situations ,and to keep their morale high - the IPS officer has done this job well. I also understood the importance of political will and how it can make a difference. The language is simple yet classy. The Author throws in references here and there from security failures and operational successes from all over the world which gives us more to explore and makes the book more interesting. Though uneducated and had limited exposure, Veerappan's tactical skills were excellent and created sleepless nights for the forces for more than 20 years. During the preparations leading to the final Operation Cocoon which lead to Veerappan's death, the author wonders: "It's unlikely that Veerappan would have read Edgar Allan Poe's The Purloined Letter, but he followed the same principle - letting his conduit and the getaway van hide in plain sight [near the police station], as that was the last place anyone would expect to find him." The camaraderie among the forces without hierarchy, patience during nerve-racking hours of waiting for the target, the risks of friendly fire ,preparing and sending people to infiltrate the group even after multiple failures and gaining the ever-alert and ever-suspicious Veerappan's trust each time ,engaging with an enemy in a guerrilla warfare where the enemy has clear advantages, the serene as well as demanding jungle life, finally not relenting until the mission is accomplished- all these things make this book an intense and a gripping read!

Best action non fiction novel written by an IPS officer. Guess many scenes explained here are very confidential and action scenes are best described. Actually I had thought Vijay Kumar sir's job is to just watch the STF as a chief but after reading this you'll get chill down your spine as he's there in almost all the operations from 2000 as a commanding officer leading his STF forces from the front, the risk he's taken is immense

Excellent insightful Book! Very well narrated! The book gives authentic & thrilling information on the 20 year hunt for the Brigand in great detail.The book narrates the evolution of Veerappan, his ruthless tactics in dealing with opponents, carefully detailing every major incidents & efforts by Tamilnadu and Karnataka police forces to nab him.The book highlights the challenges of conducting operations in jungles, the adaptations STF had to go thru, the mind game the STF played on the gang and the change in strategy at various point in time. As good as a thriller novel.The book also gives insights in Human and Technical Intelligence tactics used by STF at various stages.It also shows the relentless effort made by STF to pursue every single lead.Chapter 34 gives minute by minute account on what happened on night of October 18th, 2004.. The author has also explained that the window of opportunity to nab the gang alive was closed and had to open fire as a last resort.If this book were not written, silent sacrifices made by hundreds of men in uniform would not have been known to the outside world.The author has given due credit to his colleagues, subordinates at various stages.On a side note, I think the author could have covered in some detail about the STF operations by Karnataka team. The author has acknowledged that this could be a book by itself.Salutes to Mr.K.VijayaKumar and STF..