Chamarajanagar (Karnataka) : Sandalwood smuggler Veerappan's accomplice Gnana Prakash (69), who was also convicted in the 1993 Palar bomb blast, died of cancer on Friday. Gnana Prakash lived in Sandanapalya village of Hanur taluk during his last days. He faced a death sentence as the main accused in the Palar bomb blast case. In 2014, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after an appeal in the Supreme Court.
Gnan Prakash, who had been imprisoned for 29 years, was suffering from lung cancer. Bail was granted by the Supreme Court on December 20, 2022 on humanitarian grounds. He stayed at his house towards the end of his life. The deceased Gyan Prakash has a wife and children. On the other hand, Simon and Bilvendran, who were involved in the Palar bomb blast case, have already died and Veerappan was also killed in the 2004 encounter.
Palar Bomb Blast Case:- Palar is a village adjacent to Mahadeshwar Hill. Veerappan occupied an area of about 50 km around it. On August 9, 1993, Gopalakrishna, the then STF chief of Tamil Nadu, and his team became a target of attack by Veerappan's associates. Veerappan's accomplices, who had stored a lot of bombs, planted a landmine near Sorkaipatti near Palar.
