K'taka ADGP presents gold sword to Bannariamman temple

Salem, Nov 29 (UNI) A Gold sword with scabbard weighing 796 gms worth Rs 6.7 lakh was presented to the Bannariamman temple at Bannari in Erode district of Tamil Nadu by Karnataka Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP) Shankar Bidari today.

Sources in the Karnataka Special Task Force stationed at Erode, informing this said the Karnataka government had on November 20 sanctioned Rs eight crore as a reward to Mr Shankar Bidari and his team members, who were engaged in the combing operation from 1993 to 1996 and nailing forest brigand Veerappan in 2004.

Sources said of the eight crore reward amount, Mr Bidari's share was Rs 1.6 crore. With this amount, the ADGP today presented the gold sword to the Bannariamman temple.

The ADGP also presented a gold sword made out of 808 gms to the Chamundeshwari temple at Mysore and one gold 'Trident' weighing 800 gms to Shri Male Mahadeswara temple situated in M M hills. For presenting gold swords and the Trident, Mr Bidari had spent Rs 20 lakh from his reward amount, besides donating Rs 60 lakh to schools and hospitals in Karnataka.

Aprat from this, the ADGP also distributed Rs 50 lakh to the officers and men of the Special Task Force and public for assisting him during the Veerappan operations, the sources said, adding Mr Bidari had prayed to the dieties of the three temples for operation's success and to provide protection to his subordinates and members of the public.

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