Veerappan's daughter aims for IAS to fulfill father's dream

On Tuesday, Muthulakshmi, wife of slain forest brigand Veerappan, stepped out of jail as a free woman. Granted bail by a Tamil Nadu court, Muthulakshmi said she would write a book on the alleged atrocities committed by the Special Task Force formed to hunt down her husband. "I knew I would get justice. I have not done anything wrong. I was paying the price for the crimes my husband committed," Muthulakshmi said after her release.



Even as her mother battled one case after another and was shunted from one state prison to another, Vidya Rani, her daughter was working hard to fulfill her father's dream that she should become a public servant. The 21-year-old daughter of the bandit has enrolled in an IAS coaching class in Nungambakkam in Chennai. Nakkheeran Gopal, Kanimozhi and a few others have promised financial aid.

For Nakkheeran Gopal, taking care of Vidya is keeping a promise he made to Veerappan. While he was mediating with the brigand, Veerappan asked Gopal what careers Gopal wanted for his daughters. Gopal indicated he would like his daughters to become IAS officers. Veerapan, however, advised him to send them to medical college because only doctors could save lives. He even requested Gopal to take care of his daughters if he was killed by the STF.

Vidya Rani preferred to study for IAS. "Both the doctor and the IAS officer are public servants. But I think the second is more powerful because he/she can bring in a lot of changes in the society," she said.

Vidya Rani said that though her father Veerappan had helped a lot of people in the forest, everyone knew him as a bad man. "One needs authority to carry out good deeds. I will become an IAS officer and serve my native place," she said.

Meanwhile, Muthulakshmi told TOI that her children's education is parmount. She regretted that though Vidya Rani is a bright student, she scored low in her 12th standard since Muthlakshmi was in jail and hence couldn't concentrate on her studies.

Muthulakshmi has been acquitted from all five murder cases in Karnataka. The Gobi fast track court on Monday granted bail to her in connection with the Kannada actor Rajkumar kidnap case.