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.
A special team including Gopalkrishna had gone to Palar on the Tamil Nadu border with informers. In this incident, 22 people were killed and many others were injured by the landmine detonated by Simon. A case was registered against 124 people including Veerappan in connection with the incident.
Gnana Prakash and Simon Antoniappa, Meesekara Madaiah and Bilavendran were arrested for killing 22 policemen and injuring many others in a landmine blast at Palar on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border on 9 April 1993. The four were among 124 persons arrested in connection with the case under the Prevention of Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) Act, 1994. Of these, 117 were acquitted, while seven were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The four who were in Mysore Central Jail were shifted to Hindalaga Central Jail in Belgaum after the Supreme Court sentenced them to death in 2004. However in 2014, the Supreme Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment.
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