The Centre has sought a report from Karnataka on the death of former minister H. Nagappa. The report, which was asked for soon after Nagappa’s death, has still not been sent to the Union Home Ministry, sources said. Sources said that though the Centre has information from Intelligence agencies, it is keen on inputs from Karnataka before arriving at any conclusion. Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, however, expressed ignorance about any such request from the Centre. Home Minister Mallikarjuna Kharge, he said, must be aware of the Centre’s queries and will do the needful. It is still not clear if Nagappa was killed in an STF operation, as claimed by Veerappan, or by the bandit. His body was found 40 km inside the Karnataka territory in the forests. Nagappa’s family has alleged that he was killed in an STF offensive. They found empty AK-47 catridges and bullet marks on trees and rocks on visiting the spot for rituals. A Karnataka Assembly session has been convened on Monday to discuss the circumstances leading to Nagappa’s death. While the Krishna government has announced a judicial probe, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has denied involvement of the state STF in Nagappa’s death.
