Muthulakshmi is an Indian politician and the widow of Indian bandit and sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, who was killed by Special Task Force police in 2004 during Operation Cocoon.
Wiki/Biography
Muthulakshmi Veerappan was born in 1974 (49 years old; as of 2023) in Neruppur, Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu, India. She studied until eighth grade.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′4″
Hair color: black
Eye color: brown
family
Parents and siblings
Her parents are both farmers. She has a sister.
husband and children
In January 1990, she married Veerappan, an Indian sandalwood smuggler. From an early age, Veerappan made a firm choice to stay away from alcohol and relationships with women, recognizing that both were potentially dangerous distractions. However, fate had other plans and he found himself inexplicably attracted to Mutulakshmi. Despite Veerappan’s best intentions, he couldn’t resist becoming a regular visitor to her village.
Mutulakshmi and husband
Mutulakshmi soon noticed Veerappan’s frequent presence, and his striking features, such as his bristling mustache, keen eyesight, and authoritative air that commanded both respect and awe among the villagers, left her with a lasting impression. Made a deep impression. His mysterious presence and aura had an undeniable impact, and she couldn’t help but respond positively to his attention. Muthulakshmi’s parents did not support her relationship with Veerappan. In fact, her father told Veerappan that she was engaged to one of her cousins. However, Veerappan was determined and did not give up. Despite his father’s rejection, he eloped with Mutulakshmi and the two got married in a forest temple in January 1990. Soon after, Mutulakshmi became pregnant and lived in the forest for the entire eight months of her pregnancy. However, as delivery approached, she decided to return to her parents’ home. Fearing possible arrest, her father took her to Chennai where she surrendered to the police. Mutulakshmi was placed in a girls’ hostel where she eventually gave birth to a baby girl. An STF officer named Sylendra Babu named the child Vidya Rani. Although she was allowed to return to her parents’ home in Niruppur, her movements were closely monitored by the authorities. One day, a man came to Muthulakshmi’s house pretending to be a relative, but in fact he was one of Veerappan’s men. He conveyed Veerappan’s message that she should leave the baby with her parents and return to the jungle as he missed her. However, Mutulakshmi found it very difficult to be separated from her children. For months, she resisted Veerappan’s orders. Eventually, she realized that her children would have a better future in the village than in the forest. One night, she makes a bold move and secretly leaves Niruppur to reunite with Veerappan in the jungle.
Muthulakshmi’s photo with Veerappan
In 1990, their daughter Vidya Rani or Vijayalakshmi (actor and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party; joined in 2020) was born, and in 1992, their second daughter Prabha was born. In 1993, she gave birth to another baby girl. According to reports, her husband did not consider the birth of their third daughter to be auspicious. Her daughter’s cries became a problem for her husband because her cries helped the Special Forces find his base. Later, her husband asked a woman at his jungle base to strangle her third daughter to death.
Vijayalakshmi, daughter of Mutulakshmi
Prabha, daughter of Mutulakshmi
Profession
In 2006, she contested the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections as an independent candidate from Pennagaram constituency. On March 31, 2019, she joined the political party Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi.
Photos of Mutulakshmi at political rally
In January 2018, she founded an organization called ‘Mann Kaakkum Veerathamizhar Peramaippu’ (Brave Tamil Soil Conservation Federation) to advocate for government support in providing fresh water to aid agriculture and support farmers. Muthulakshmi also started a self-help group called ‘Malaival Makkal Urimai Iyakkam’ to provide assistance to poor villagers living on the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
dispute
arrested many times
In 1992, the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu governments formed a special task force to nab Veerappan and his aides. To escape the STF, she ran into the jungle. After spending two harrowing nights alone in the jungle, she was caught by the police. She was detained at the police barracks without appearing in court. She was tortured, starved, beaten, and given electric shocks. She lives in fear of losing her life every day. A lawsuit was filed against the police after the media reported the incident in newspapers. She eventually appeared in court and was released. She was arrested on July 30, 2000, in connection with the kidnapping of Indian actor Rajkumar, who was abducted from his farmhouse in Thottagajanoor near Thalawadi in Erode district, 400 km from Chennai. A court in Erode city in western Tamil Nadu state acquitted Muthulakshmi and others of the July 2000 kidnapping case of Kannada actor Rajkumar. Police accused Muthulakshmi and 25 of her relatives of harboring criminal Veerappan and his associates and accepting kidnapping. Unlawful gratification. Sections 216 and 412 of IPC were invoked against them. The police claimed that they recovered Rs 40 lakh in cash, 30 Solin of gold and three cars from them and claimed that they received part of the ransom money from Veerappan. However, Rajkumar was released on November 15, 2000 after 108 days in captivity and crores of rupees were allegedly paid as ransom for his release. Mutulakshmi and ten others were acquitted by Justice Krishnan of the Third Additional District and District Court, who said the charges against them had not been proven. However, 13 others were convicted and each was sentenced to one year in jail and fined Rs 150. Although eight years after her husband’s death, she felt relieved when 11 of the 24 defendants in the case were acquitted. The remaining defendants have been released on bail and plan to challenge the verdict in the High Court, as their defense lawyers explained. Mutulakshmi was acquitted by a Karnataka court in two murder cases, two bomb blasts and a case involving an attack on a police station.
Veerappan’s life after death
After Veerappan’s death in 2004, Muthulakshmi went through a very difficult time. She was so depressed that she once attempted suicide by drinking benzene. Subsequently, she was rushed to a nearby hospital in time and the harmful substances were successfully discharged. Later, a police officer named Tamilselvan helped her find a job in a textile factory called Vasudeva Textiles in Coimbatore, with a salary of Rs 25 per day. She worked there for three years, from 1995 to 1998. During this time, no one knew her true identity. In an interview, she described this phase as one of the most difficult in her life. She had to work nearly eight hours a day, walking from one end of the room to the other, even though her leg was injured during the police operation. She felt isolated, didn’t talk to anyone, had no friends, and had difficulty understanding the people around her.
Facts/Trivia
- She has long been involved in various social service activities to support people facing challenges due to Veerappan’s activities.
- She took legal action against filmmaker AMR Ramesh for wrongly portraying her late husband in the 2013 Kannada film Attahasa. She won the case and was awarded Rs 25 lakh even before the film was released.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education