Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi

2021-12-31T21:55:23Z

2600:1013:B012:D895:0:7:C1E9:2A01: /* Assassination */

{{short description|1991
assassination of the 6th Prime Minister of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Assassination of [[Rajiv Gandhi]]
| partof =
| image = File:Rajiv Gandhi Memorial blast site.jpg
| image_size =
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| alt =
| caption = Seven pillars surround the site of the blast, at the [[Rajiv Gandhi Memorial]] in [[Sriperumbudur]]
| map =
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| location = [[Sriperumbudur]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| target = [[Rajiv Gandhi]]
| coordinates =
| date = {{start date and age|df=yes|1991|05|21}}
| time = 10:10 pm
| timezone = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| type = [[Suicide bombing]]
| fatalities = 16
| injuries = 43
| victims = [[Rajiv Gandhi]] and at least 57 others
| perpetrator = Thenmozhi Rajaratnam<br/> (also known as Kalaivani Rajaratnam,<ref name="books.google.co.in">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZCnjCQAAQBAJ|title=The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination: The Investigation|isbn=9788120793088|last1=Kaarthikeyan|first1=D. R.|date=23 June 2015}}</ref> also known as Dhanu)
| assailants = 
| susperps = 
| weapons = [[RDX]] [[Explosive belt|explosive-laden belt]]
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}}
[[File:Remains of clothing worn by Rajiv Gandhi during his assassination.jpg|thumb|Remains of clothing worn by Rajiv Gandhi during his assassination]]
The '''assassination of Rajiv Gandhi''', former [[Prime Minister of India]], occurred as a result of a [[suicide bombing]] in [[Sriperumbudur]], [[Chennai]], in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]] on 21 May 1991.<ref>Assassination in India; Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated in bombing at cawmpaign stop; India puts off rest of voting [https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/22/world/assassination-india-rajiv-gandhi-assassinated-bombing-campaign-stop-india-puts.html?pagewanted=all]</ref> At least 14 others, in addition to [[Rajiv Gandhi]], were killed.<ref>{{cite news
|title=1991: Bomb kills India's former leader Rajiv Gandhi
|date=1991-05-21
|work=[[BBC News]]
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/21/newsid_2504000/2504739.stm
|access-date=2008-08-05
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080727032334/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/21/newsid_2504000/2504739.stm| archive-date= 27 July 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> It was carried out by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam (also known as Kalaivani Rajaratnam or Dhanu),<ref name="books.google.co.in"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Lady With The Poison Flowers |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/lady-with-the-poison-flowers/228400 |website=www.outlookindia.com |quote=With Rajiv Gandhi's gruesome assassination, the suicide bomber had well and truly arrived}}</ref> a member of the [[Sri Lankan Tamil]] separatist organization [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE). At the time, [[India]] had just ended its involvement, through the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]], in the [[Sri Lankan Civil War]]. Subsequent accusations of [[Conspiracy theories|conspiracy]] have been addressed by two commissions of inquiry and have brought down at least one national government.<ref name=fall>{{cite web|last= Cooper|first=Kenneth J.|date=29 Nov 1997|title=Leader Of India Falls From Power|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1997-11-29/news/9711280315_1_congress-party-gujral-bharatiya-janata-party|website=www.sun-sentinel.com|access-date=3 Aug 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://chennaivision.com/news/2014/72578.php|title=TN to release all Rajiv convicts|access-date=19 Feb 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304231802/http://chennaivision.com/news/2014/72578.php|archive-date=2014-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Gurbachan Singh Manochahal]] had helped with logistical and tactical support. His involvement was only discovered in 2016.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web|date=June 30, 1995|first1=Nirupama|last1=Subramanian|first2=Harinder|last2=Baweja|title=Rajiv Gandhi killing: Jain Commission investigates likelihood of wider conspiracy|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19950630-rajiv-gandhi-killing-jain-commission-investigates-likelihood-of-wider-conspiracy-807474-1995-06-30|access-date=2021-09-16|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref>

==Assassination==
 

Rajiv Gandhi was busy campaigning for the upcoming elections along with G.K. Moopanar in southern states of India. On 21 May, after campaigning in [[Visakhapatnam]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], his next stop was Sriperumbudur, [[Tamil Nadu]]. About two hours after arriving in [[Madras]] (now Chennai), Gandhi was driven by motorcade in a white [[Hindustan Ambassador|Ambassador car]] to [[Sriperumbudur]], stopping along the way at a few other election campaigning venues.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/22/world/assassination-india-rajiv-gandhi-assassinated-bombing-campaign-stop-india-puts.html?scp=2&sq=rajiv%20gandhi%20crossette&st=cse "Assassination in India; Rajiv Gandhi is assassinated in bombing at campaign stop"], by Barbara Crossette, ''The New York Times'', 22 May 1991. Neena Gopal of the Gulf News of Dubai was also in the car, in the back seat with Chandrashekhar and a local party official. [http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-05-22/news/9105220915_1_gandhi-rajiv-chandrashekhar/2 "A Chance To Be Near The People New Campaigning Style Put Gandhi In Crowds"]
by Barbara Crossette, ''New York Times'', 22 May 1991, via ''Orlando Sentinel''. Retrieved 2010-07-19.</ref> The assassin, Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, was said to have come out of a blue car with another women (most probably her back up bomber Shubha) and one more, a man in white kurta pyjamas (probably Sivarasan and Nalini). It was said by security officers that she was seen five hours earlier, asking a security officer where the VIP area is in English, when the security officer told her that he did not understand English, she switched the language to Tamil, although a weird kind of “variation that was not spoken in the region.” When asked where she was from she answered, “I am from Kanchipuram.”<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Pirabhakaran Phenomenon Part 32|url=https://sangam.org/PIRABAKARAN/Part32.htm|access-date=2021-09-21|website=sangam.org}}</ref> When Rajiv reached a campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, he left his car and began walking towards the [[dais]] where he was to deliver a speech. Along the way, he was [[garland]]ed by many well-wishers, Congress party workers and school children. The assassin Dhanu (Thenmozhi Rajaratnam) approached and greeted him. She then bent down to touch his feet and detonated an [[RDX]] [[explosive belt|explosive-laden belt]] tucked below her dress at exactly 10:10 PM.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/galleries/nation/2018/may/21/a-look-back-at-rajiv-gandhi-assassination-rare-images-from-the-past-101515.html|title=A look back at Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Rare images from the past|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref> Gandhi, his assassin and 14 others were killed in the explosion that followed, along with 43 others who were grievously injured. The assassination was caught on film by a local photographer, Haribabu,<ref>Supreme Court of India, State Of Tamil Nadu Through vs Nalini And 25 Others on 11 May 1999 [https://indiankanoon.org/doc/194120/]</ref> whose camera and film was found intact at the site despite him also dying in the blast.<ref name="books.google.co.in"/>

== Victims ==
Apart from the suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, several people were killed in the blast on 21 May 1991:<ref name="books.google.co.in"/><ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-05-22|title=The others who died with Rajiv Gandhi: Families talk of struggle, neglect|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/rajiv-gandhi-assassination-other-people-killed-2813120/|access-date=2020-11-30|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=May 21, 2017|first=Prabhash K. |last=Dutta|title=Remembering Rajiv Gandhi: What exactly happened on that fateful night of May 21 in Madras and New Delhi|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/rajiv-gandhi-assassination-sriperumbudur-new-delhi-978318-2017-05-21|access-date=2020-11-30|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref>{{Verification needed|date=August 2021}}
* [[Rajiv Gandhi]], former Prime Minister of India
* Dharman, police constable
* Santhani Begum, [[All India Mahila Congress|Mahila Congress]] Leader
* Rajguru, police inspector
* Chandra, police constable
* Edward Joseph, police inspector
* K.S Mohammed Iqbal, police superintendent
* Latha Kannan, Mahila Congress worker, who was with her stepdaughter Kokilavani ( The assassin, Dhanu followed Latha and her daughter, Kokila because she knew they made a reservation. Dhanu also befriended them before the assassination, the black bag seen on Dhanu in a photo was found on Latha's body meaning that it was given to her, further indicating that they knew each other.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{Cite web|first1=Shekhar|last1=Gupta|first2=Kavitha|last2=Shetty|first3=Anand|last3=Viswanathan|date=June 30, 1991|title=LTTE key suspect in Rajiv Gandhi assassination probe|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19910630-ltte-key-suspect-in-rajiv-gandhi-assassination-probe-815528-1991-06-30|access-date=2021-09-27|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref>)
* Kokilavani, ten-year-old stepdaughter of Latha Kannan, who sang a poem to [[Rajiv Gandhi|Gandhi]] immediately prior to the blast
* Darryl Jude Peters, attendee and observer
* Munuswamy, former member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council
* Saroja Devi, seventeen-year-old college student
* Pradeep K Gupta, personal security officer of Rajiv Gandhi
* Ethiraju
* Murugan, police constable
* Ravichandran, [[National Security Guard|Black Cat]] commando

Around forty-three bystanders including police sub-inspector Anushiya Daisy were also injured in the explosion.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Peter|last=Petlee|date=2012-05-01|title=Women Power: Living with grit and painful memories|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/downtown/women-power-living-with-grit-and-painful-memories/article3421265.ece|access-date=2020-11-30|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==Security lapses==
{{more citations needed|section|date=May 2021}}
The Supreme Court held that the decision to eliminate Gandhi was premeditated by his interview to ''Sunday'' magazine (21–28 August 1990), where he stated that he would send the IPKF to disarm the LTTE if he returned to power. Gandhi also defended the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka accord in the same interview. The LTTE decision to kill him was perhaps aimed at preventing him from coming to power again. Thereafter, the Justice J S Verma Commission was formed to look into the security lapses that contributed to the killing.

The Supreme Court judgement, by Justice [[K. T. Thomas (Justice)|K. T. Thomas]], further confirmed that Gandhi was killed because of personal animosity by the LTTE chief [[Velupillai Prabhakaran|Prabhakaran]] arising from his sending the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka and the alleged [[Indian Peace Keeping Force#Controversies|IPKF atrocities]] against Sri Lankan Tamils.<ref>''State of Tamil Nadu through Superintendent of Police, CBI/SIT vs. Nalini & 25 Ors.'', Death Ref. Case No. 1 of 1998 (@ D.No.1151 of 1998) per [http://cbi.nic.in/dop/judgements/thomas.pdf K.T. Thomas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102222525/http://cbi.nic.in/dop/judgements/thomas.pdf |date=2 November 2011 }}, para. 163</ref>

The final report, submitted in June 1992, concluded that the security arrangements for the former PM were adequate but that the local Congress party leaders disrupted and broke these arrangements.<ref>{{cite web|last=Patel|first=Tejas|title=Rajiv assassination mystery unsolved|url=http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showcolumns.aspx?id=COLEN20070012787|work=Article|publisher=NDTV.com|access-date=21 May 2011}}</ref>

The [[P. V. Narasimha Rao|Narasimha Rao]] government initially rejected Verma's findings but later accepted it under pressure. However, no action was taken on the recommendations of the commission.

Despite no action, the findings raised vital questions that have previously been consistently raised by political analysts. Sources have indicated that Gandhi was repeatedly informed that there was a threat to his life and that he should not travel to Tamil Nadu. In fact, the then governor of Tamil Nadu Bhism Narayan Singh, broke official protocol and twice warned Gandhi about the threat to his life if he visited the state.

Dr Subramanian Swamy said in his book, ''Sri Lanka in Crisis: India's Options (2007)'', that an LTTE delegation had met Rajiv Gandhi on 5 March 1991. Another delegation met him around 14 March 1991 in New Delhi.

Journalist Ram Bahadur Rai wrote that:
<blockquote>The message conveyed to Rajiv Gandhi by both these delegations was that there was no threat to his life and that he can travel to Tamil Nadu without fearing for his life. I did a series of articles after his assassination that pointed out how, after these meetings, Rajiv became complacent about his security and broke security rules in more than 40 rallies.<ref>{{cite web|last=Patel|first=Tejas|title=Rajiv assassination mystery unsolved|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/node/5839|work=Article|publisher=Asian Tribune|access-date=21 May 2011}}</ref></blockquote>

==Funeral==
Following his assassination, Rajiv Gandhi's mutilated body was airlifted to [[New Delhi]]. From the [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]], his body was sent to the [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences]] in [[New Delhi]] for an autopsy, reconstruction and embalming.<ref name="rajivgandhifuneral">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SAZVQqntxY0C&q=rajiv+gandhi+body+reconstructed&pg=PA70 |title=Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi — Shashi Ahluwalia, Meenakshi Ahluwalia |isbn=9788170993155 |access-date=2013-01-19|last1=Ahluwalia |first1=Meenakshi |date=January 1991 }}</ref>

A [[state funeral]] was held for Rajiv Gandhi on 24 May 1991. His funeral was broadcast live nationally and internationally, and was attended by dignitaries from over 60 countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/essay/assassination-of-rajiv-gandhi-and-its-aftermath-essay.html |title=Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and its aftermath |publisher=Knowledge Hub |date=1991-05-21 |access-date=2013-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430204658/http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/essay/assassination-of-rajiv-gandhi-and-its-aftermath-essay.html |archive-date=2013-04-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was cremated on the banks of the river [[Yamuna river|Yamuna]], near the cremation spot of his [[Indira Gandhi|mother]], [[Sanjay Gandhi|brother]] and [[Jawaharlal Nehru|grandfather]]. Today, the site where he was cremated is known as [[Veerbhumi]].

==Investigation==
The interim report of Justice Milap Chand Jain, looking into the conspiracy angle to the assassination, indicted the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]] for colluding with the LTTE. The report concluded that the DMK had provided sanctuary to the LTTE, which made it easier for the rebels to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.<ref name=raj>{{cite news|last1=Keerthana|first1=R|title=Rajiv's death – a revisit|url=http://www.thehindu.com/in-school/rajivs-death-a-revisit/article5814423.ece|access-date=10 Aug 2014|work=The Hindu|date=21 Mar 2014}}</ref>

The Commission report stated that the year 1989 signified "the perpetuation of the general political trend of indulging the Tamil militants on Indian soil and tolerance of their wide-ranging criminal and anti-national activities". The report also alleged that LTTE leaders in Jaffna were in possession of sensitive coded messages exchanged between the Union government and the state government of DMK. "There is evidence to show that, during this period, some of the most vital wireless messages were passed between the LTTE operatives based in Tamil Nadu and Jaffna. These messages, which were decoded later, are directly related to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi", the report stated. The Congress subsequently brought down the United Front (UF) government of I K Gujral after the report was leaked in November 1998. The party also demanded the removal of DMK from the UF government, arguing that it had played a key role in the death of Rajiv Gandhi.

In 2016 it was found out that [[Gurbachan Singh Manochahal]] had helped with logistical and tactical support to the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|Tamil Tigers]]. Known for being the only leader to take districts out of Government control in India, Mr. Manochahal had confessed that he was in contact with [[Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir|Kashmiri Militia]] and [[Assam separatist movements|Assamese Insurgents]] but never discussed his relation with Tamil Tigers.

"''LTTE and Punjab ultras spoke of a plan to assassinate Rajiv''."

- Sewa Dass Singh, ''Phiruman Akali Dal leader'' (1992)

This was evidence to the Jain Committee's report and suspicions, the LTTE insurgents most probably got their inspiration from the assassination of Gobind Ram in Punjab, he was killed by '[[Toofan Singh]]' a [[Khalistan Liberation Force]] rebel leader.

==The assassin ==
The assassination was carried out by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, also known as Kalaivani Rajaratnam, Dhanu or Gayatri, she has also been known to be called Nalayani, Thanu, Thenmuli and Anbu.<ref name="books.google.co.in" /> Born on 1 January 1974<ref>{{Cite web|title=How old is Thenmozhi Rajaratnam|url=https://www.howoldo.co/person/thenmozhi-rajaratnam|access-date=2021-04-12|website=HowOld.co|language=en}}</ref> in a small village in Jaffna called kupukullai.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 31, 1991|first=Anirudhya|last=Mitra|title=Mastermind of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, Sivarasan, is a man with many names|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19910831-investigations-of-rajiv-gandhi-murder-reveal-that-sivarasan-is-a-man-with-many-names-814736-1991-08-31|access-date=2021-09-20|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref> And later moved to Kaidathi Nunavil, [[Chavakachcheri|Chavakacheri]],<ref name="books.google.co.in"/> both in the [[Northern Province, Sri Lanka|Northern Province of Sri Lanka]]. She later moved to a girls school in [[Batticaloa]]<ref name="indiatoday.in"/> in the [[Eastern Province, Sri Lanka|eastern province]] of the [[Sri Lanka]],{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} she was inspired by the Tamil militant group [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (Tamil Tigers) at a young age, and joined the Black Tigers ([[Suicide attack|suicide bombers]]). In reaction to various geo-political and economic factors, from August 1983 to May 1987, India, through its intelligence agency [[Research and Analysis Wing]] (RAW), provided arms, training and monetary support to six Sri Lankan Tamil insurgent groups including the LTTE. Eight batches of [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] Cadres, including Dhanu where trained in [[Dindigul|dindigul, Tamilnadu.]]<ref>{{Citation|title=Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|date=2021-10-24|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam&oldid=1051638682|work=Wikipedia|language=en|access-date=2021-10-27}}</ref>The main reason why Dhanu became a Tiger is that her brother was a well-known cadre who had died and she was carrying on the family tradition.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Bloom|first1=Mia|last2=Caryl|first2=Christian|title=The Truth about Dhanu|journal=New York Review of Books|language=en|url=https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2005/10/20/the-truth-about-dhanu/|access-date=2021-04-17|issn=0028-7504}}</ref> She was identified as a member of the LTTE's women's wing, who used to ride a bicycle in [[Vavuniya]] with "Nalayani" written on it. But, in keeping with the LTTE tradition Nalayani could be her pseudonym.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> This may mean that she moved to many training camps along the northern province of Sri Lanka. Although the “ Nalayani theory” is not confirmed. Thenmozhi was the daughter of a Sri Lankan Tamil man named A.Rajaratnam<ref name="indiatoday.in">{{Cite web|date=June 14, 2013|title=Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Dhanu, the first-ever human bomb in Sri Lanka's history|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19920531-rajiv-gandhi-assassination-dhanu-the-first-ever-human-bomb-in-sri-lankas-history-766314-2013-06-14|access-date=2021-04-12|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref> and his second wife.<ref name="books.google.co.in"/> He allegedly was described as [[Velupillai Prabhakaran|Prabhakaran's]] mentor; and he played a vital role in moulding the LTTE chief's thinking during the movement's formative years between 1972 and 1975. Thenmozhi was survived by her mother, older sister, Vasugi, and brother, Sivavarman, from his first marriage, who moved to [[Canada]] along with his stepsister, Vasugi, after the death of Sivavarman’s mother, or A.Rajaratnam’s first wife, he remarried and had three daughters, Vasugi who moved to [[Canada]] along with Sivavarman , this left Dhanu and her sister Anuja, both of who died in the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]]. The [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] had made a clever move, and had told her family that she has died in a battle in September 1990. Anuja had a fractured ankle at the time of Dhanu’s death due to a battle with the [[Sri Lanka Army|Sri Lankan Army]].<ref name="books.google.co.in"/> There is physical evidence that a flag bearer, from a seized [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] training camp video cassette was indeed Dhanu, although many people go against this saying that it was an “Anuja of [[Chavakachcheri|Chavakacheri]]” or Dhanu’s sister, but it is most likely that it is Dhanu herself.<ref name="books.google.co.in"/>, estimated to be taken around 10:15 pm]]The court convicted and sentenced the seven persons who facilitated the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi to life imprisonment. They are currently undergoing life imprisonment in prisons in India. They are:
* Murugan alias Sriharan - A [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] operative from Sri Lanka
* Nalini - Wife of Murugan. Nalini is a citizen of India. She also claims that she was not aware of the assassination.
* Santhan alias T. Suthenthiraraja - A Sri Lankan national.
* Robert Pious - A Sri Lankan national. Jayakumar - The brother in law of Robert Pious.
* Ravichandran - A Sri Lankan national.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/rajiv-gandhi-murder-who-are-the-7-convicts-the-tn-govt-wants-to-free-1398193.html|title = Rajiv Gandhi murder: Who are the 7 convicts the TN govt wants to free?-India News, Firstpost|date = 20 February 2014}}</ref>
* [[A. G. Perarivalan]] - An Indian citizen who was arrested for supplying a 9-volt battery for the explosive device.

{| class="wikitable"
|+The plot
!Name
!Act in plot
!Birthplace
!Cause of death
|-
|Shivarasan alias Raghuvaran or Raghu-anna
|Planning and executing the plot of the assassination
|[[Udupiddy]]
|[[Suicide]]
|-
|[[Gurbachan Singh Manochahal]]
|Planning the assassination.
|Manochahal Kalan
|Encounter
|-
|Shubha alias Shalini or Nithya
|Standby to accompany the human bomb she was also the back-up bomber
|Kupukullai
|[[Suicide]]
|-
|Thenmozhi Rajaratnam alias Kalaivani, Dhanu or Anbu
|The human bomb
|Kupukullai
|[[Suicide attack|Suicide]]
|}

==Supreme Court judgment==
As per the [[Supreme Court of India]] judgment, by [[K. T. Thomas (Justice)|Judge K. T. Thomas]], the killing was carried out due to personal animosity of the LTTE chief [[Prabhakaran]] towards [[Rajiv Gandhi]]. Additionally, the Rajiv Gandhi administration had antagonised other Tamil militant organisations like [[People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam|PLOTE]] for [[1988 Maldives coup d'état#Operation Cactus|reversing the military coup]] in [[Maldives]] back in 1988.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cbi.nic.in/dop/judgements/thomas.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102222525/http://cbi.nic.in/dop/judgements/thomas.pdf |archive-date=2011-11-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The judgment further cited the death of [[Thileepan]] in a hunger strike and the suicide by 12 LTTE cadres in a vessel in October 1987. While convicting the accused, four of them to death and others to various jail terms, the judgment stated that no evidence existed that any one of the conspirators ever desired the death of any Indian other than Rajiv Gandhi, though several others were killed. Judge Wadhwa further stated there was nothing on record to show that the intention to kill Rajiv Gandhi was to overawe the government. Hence it was held that it was not a terrorist act under TADA (Act).<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1611/16111030.htm | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | title=Out of the TADA net}}</ref><ref name=cbi>{{cite web |url=http://cbi.nic.in/judgements/thomas.pdf |title=Death Reference Case No. (@ D.NO.1151 of 1998) |publisher=Cbi.nic.in |access-date=2014-08-03 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Judge Thomas further stated that conspiracy was hatched in stages commencing from 1987 and that it spanned several years. The special investigation team of India's premier special investigation agency [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] was not able to pinpoint when the decision to kill Rajiv Gandhi was taken.<ref name=cbi />

==Trial==
The trial was conducted under the [[Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act]]. On 28 January 1998, the designated TADA court in [[Chennai]] gave death sentences to all the 26 accused.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rajiv-gandhi-assassination-case-tracing-the-trial/453154-3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225174236/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rajiv-gandhi-assassination-case-tracing-the-trial/453154-3.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2014-02-25 |title=Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: tracing the trial |publisher=Ibnlive.in.com |access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/rajiv-gandhi-assassination-timeline.html |title=Rajiv Gandhi assassination Timeline |publisher=Dailypioneer.com |date=2014-02-20 |access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref> This created a storm in India. Legal experts were divided.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Bhavna Vij |author2=Swati Chaturvedi |name-list-style=amp |url=http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/19980130/03050184.html|title=Legal luminaries divided on death verdict in Rajiv assassination case|publisher=The Indian Express|date=1998-01-30|access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref>
Human rights groups protested that the trial did not meet the standards of a free trial.<ref>[http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA200222000?open&of=ENG-IND India: The Prevention of Terrorism Bill. Past abuses revisited | Amnesty International] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061203190256/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA200222000?open&of=ENG-IND |date=3 December 2006 }}</ref> The trial was held behind closed doors, ''[[in camera]]'', and the identity of witnesses was not disclosed. Ms A. Athirai, an accused, was 17 years old when she was arrested.

Under the TADA an accused can appeal only to the [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]]. Appeal to the [[Madras High Court|High Court]] is not allowed as in normal law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.derechos.org/saran/lanka/3298.html |title=Human Rights Bulletin on Srfati Lanka |publisher=Derechos.org |access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref> Confessions given by the accused to the Superintendent of Police are taken as evidence against the accused under TADA. Under TADA the accused could be convicted on the basis of evidence that would have been insufficient for conviction by an ordinary court under normal Indian law. In the Rajiv Gandhi case, confessions by the accused formed a major part of the evidence in the judgment against them which they later claimed was taken under duress.<ref>{{cite web |title=In the Supreme Court of India Criminal Appellate Jurisdiction |url=http://cbi.nic.in/Judgements/wadwa.htm |website=cbi.nic.in |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070122000734/http://cbi.nic.in/Judgements/wadwa.htm |archive-date=2007-01-22}}</ref>

On appeal to the [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]], only four of the accused were sentenced to death and the others to various jail terms. S Nalini Sriharan is the lone surviving member of the five-member squad behind the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and is serving life imprisonment. Arrested on 14 June 1991, she was sentenced to death, along with the other 25 accused. However, the court confirmed that the death sentence was given to only four of the convicts, including Nalini, on 11 May 1999. Nalini, who is the wife of an LTTE operative known as V Sriharan alias Murugan, another convict in the case who had been sentenced to death, later gave birth to a girl, Harithra Murugan in prison. Upon the intervention of Rajiv Gandhi's widow and Congress president [[Sonia Gandhi]], who petitioned for clemency for the sake of Nalini's daughter in 2000, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Nalini was treated as a class 'A' convict from 10 September 1999 till the privilege was withdrawn in May 2010 after a mobile phone was allegedly recovered from her cell during a surprise check. She "regrets" the killing of the former Prime Minister and claims that the real conspirators have not been booked yet.<ref>{{cite news|agency=PTI|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-08-03/india/27901060_1_rajiv-gandhi-assassination-case-nalini-sriharan-suicide-bomber |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430180742/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-08-03/india/27901060_1_rajiv-gandhi-assassination-case-nalini-sriharan-suicide-bomber |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-30 |title=I regret Rajiv Gandhi's assassination: Nalini|date=2008-08-03 |work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|agency=IANS |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_my-sins-washed-away-says-nalini-sriharan_1159967 |title=My sins washed away, says Nalini Sriharan|publisher=DNA India|date=2008-04-16 |access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref> The President of India rejected the clemency pleas of Murugan and two others on death row, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan and A G Perarivalan alias Arivu in August 2011.<ref>{{cite news|agency=TNN |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-11/india/30141652_1_vellore-prison-nalini-sriharan-puzhal-prison |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430171036/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-11/india/30141652_1_vellore-prison-nalini-sriharan-puzhal-prison |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-30 |title=Nalini meets hubby on death row|date=2011-09-11 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref> The execution of the three convicts was scheduled for 9 September 2011. However, the [[Madras High Court]] intervened and stayed their execution for eight weeks based on their petitions. Nalini was shifted back to Vellore prison from Puzhal prison amidst tight security on 7 September 2011. In 2010, Nalini had moved the [[Madras High Court]] seeking release as she had served more than 20 years in prison. She argued that even life convicts were released after 14 years. However, the state government rejected her request.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Rajiv+Gandhi+assassin+Nalini+Sriharan+not+to+be+freed/1/90329.html |title=Rajiv Gandhi assassin Nalini Sriharan not to be freed|publisher=India Today|date=2010-03-29 |access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|agency=TNN |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-16/india/31200948_1_special-prison-puzhal-m-radhakrishnan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227060118/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-16/india/31200948_1_special-prison-puzhal-m-radhakrishnan |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-02-27 |title=Rajiv Gandhi's assassin Nalini gets back 'A' class jail facilities|date=2012-03-16 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/rajiv-gandhi-s-killer-nalini-breaks-down-132130 |title=Rajiv Gandhi's killer Nalini breaks down |publisher=NDTV |date=2011-09-07 |access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref> Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, the three convicts condemned to death, claimed that they were not ordinary criminals but political prisoners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_rajiv-gandhi-assassination-convict-nalini-shifted-to-vellore-prison_1584208 |title=Nalini Sriharan back in Vellore|publisher=DNA India|date=2011-09-07 |access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-06-29/chennai/28311629_1_premature-release-prison-manual-rules-nalini-sriharan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430154648/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-06-29/chennai/28311629_1_premature-release-prison-manual-rules-nalini-sriharan |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-30 |title=Nalini shifted from Vellore jail to Puzhal|date=2010-06-29 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=A Subramani|agency=TNN|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-21/india/28126770_1_premature-release-vellore-prison-nalini |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430164451/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-21/india/28126770_1_premature-release-vellore-prison-nalini |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-30 |title=After 19 yrs in jail for Rajiv murder, Nalini may be freed|date=2010-01-21 |work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=2013-08-30}}</ref>

==Controversies==
In a report published on 30 October 2012 in DNA,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_ib-hid-crucial-video-on-rajiv-gandhi-murder-book_1757684|title=IB hid crucial video on Rajiv Gandhi murder: Book|date=30 October 2012}}</ref> K Ragothaman, former chief investigator of the CBI, talks about his new book ''[http://www.milligazette.com/news/4494-buy-a-copy-of-conspiracy-to-kill-rajiv-gandhi-from-the-cbi-files Conspiracy to Kill Rajiv Gandhi: From the CBI Files]'' and tells the reporter that while the CBI had started a preliminary inquiry in which MK Narayanan, former West Bengal Governor and former Intelligence Bureau director, was named a suspect in hiding evidence, the case was buried by the CBI SIT Chief, D.R. Karthikeyan.

In an interview in 2017, Justice K.T. Thomas had said that "there were serious flaws" in the CBI's investigation in case, particularly related to the seizure of Rs 40 lakh in cash from the convicts, which led him to believe that the probe exposed "an unpardonable flaw" in the "Indian criminal justice system".{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

==Jain Commission and other reports==
In the Jain report, various people and agencies are named as suspected of having been involved in the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. Among them, the cleric [[Chandraswami]] was suspected of involvement, including financing the assassination.<ref>[http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_print.asp?id=266715 outlookindia.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015094247/http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_print.asp?id=266715 |date=October 15, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19980711/19250694.html |title=Probe Chandraswami's role in Rajiv case - Jain report |publisher=Expressindia.com |date=1987-09-23 |access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CBI sees godman's role in Rajiv's killing |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Dec112004/i2.asp |website=www.deccanherald.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041228043145/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Dec112004/i2.asp |archive-date=2004-12-28}}</ref>
One of the accused, Ranganath, said Chandraswami was the godfather who financed the killing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19990514/ige14006.html |title=Chandraswami had a hand in the plot |publisher=Expressindia.com |date=1999-05-14 |access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>
Sikh Militants were also suspected.<ref>[http://www.india-today.com/jain/vol3/chap2.html Jain Commission Report Chapter Ii] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111503/http://www.india-today.com/jain/vol3/chap2.html |date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.india-today.com/jain/vol3/chap8.html Jain Commission Report Chapter Viii] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060815221832/http://www.india-today.com/jain/vol3/chap8.html |date=August 15, 2006 }}</ref>
The interim report of the [[Jain Commission]] created a storm when it accused [[M. Karunanidhi]] the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu of a role in the assassination, leading to Congress withdrawing its support for the [[I. K. Gujral]] government and fresh elections in 1998. Also other strong LTTE sympathizers [[Vaiko]] with [[Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|MDMK]] and [[Thol. Thirumavalavan]] with [[Dalit Panthers of India|VCK]] have supported Congress under Sonia Gandhi in the past. Vaiko left the UPA alliance before the [[2009 Indian general election|2009 election]], partly due to the Sri Lankan issue. In the 2001 Norway peace talks, Prabhakaran told the press that the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was a sorrowful event.
In 2006, LTTE spokesman Anton Balasingham told the Indian television channel [[NDTV]] that the killing was a "great tragedy, a monumental historical tragedy which we deeply regret".<ref>[http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=70062 We deeply regret Rajiv's death: LTTE] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513024836/http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=70062 |date=13 May 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|title=Tamil Tiger 'regret' over Gandhi
|date=2006-06-27
|work=[[BBC News]]
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5122032.stm
|access-date=2008-08-05
}}</ref>

==Memorial and popular culture==
[[File:Rajiv Gandhi memorial entrance, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. 2010.jpg|thumb|Rajiv Gandhi memorial entrance, [[Kanchipuram]], [[Tamil Nadu]]. 2010]]
* The [[Rajiv Gandhi Memorial]] was built on the site, and is one of the major tourist attractions in the small industrial town.
* ''Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi: Unanswered Questions and Unasked Queries'' by [[Subramanian Swamy]]
* ''Conspiracy to Kill Rajiv Gandhi - from CBI Files'' by the [[Central Bureau of Investigation]] officer and chief investigating officer of the assassination case.<ref>{{cite news|author=Manoj Mitta|agency=TNN|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-30/india/34816759_1_video-tape-m-k-narayanan-assassination|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130221073219/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-30/india/34816759_1_video-tape-m-k-narayanan-assassination|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-02-21|title=Rajiv Gandhi assassination video suppressed, claims book|date=2012-10-30|work=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=2013-09-04}}</ref>
* ''Beyond the Tigers: Tracking Rajiv Gandhi's Assassination'' by Rajeev Sharma.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/lttes-messages-show-why-rajiv-gandhis-murder-should-be-re-probed-part-1-1398773.html |title=LTTE's messages show why Gandhi's murder should be re-probed (Part-1) |date=20 February 2014 |publisher=Firstpost |access-date=2014-08-03}}</ref>
* ''Bypass: Flaws in the Forensic Investigation of Rajiv Gandhi Murder'', the first open source feature film from India.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHyrBpaG_G8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/xHyrBpaG_G8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Bypass Film |publisher=Bypass Team}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0scdVuuWBp4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/0scdVuuWBp4 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Bypass Film |publisher=Bypass Team}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*Statue of Rajiv Gandhi (burnt by a Sikh in Punjab)

===Films===
* ''[[Kuttrapathirikai]]''
* ''[[Mission 90 Days]]''
* ''[[The Terrorist (1997 film)|The Terrorist]]''
* ''[[Cyanide (2006 film)|Cyanide]]''
* ''[[Madras Cafe]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [https://indiankanoon.org/doc/194120/ State of Tamil Nadu through Superintendent of police, CBI/SIT v/s Nalini and 25 others.]
* Blakeslee, David S. "Politics and public goods in developing countries: Evidence from the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi." ''Journal of Public Economics'' 163 (2018): 1-19 [https://web.archive.org/web/20200212142208/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/50b3/f0470adcdf84a8643adcd50307dbd2a13b0b.pdf online].
* Gopal, Neena. ''The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi'' (Penguin Random House India, 2017).
* Harish M, ''The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi & Involvement of Sikh Extremists'' (2020) [https://www.amazon.com/Assassination-Rajiv-Gandhi-Involvement-Extremists/dp/B08GVD79H2/ excerpt]
* Kaarthikenyan, D. R., and Radhavinod Raju. ''Rajiv Gandhi Assassination'' (Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd, 2008). [https://www.amazon.com/Rajiv-Gandhi-Assassination-Investigation/dp/8120790332/ online]
* Roberts, Michael. "Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu's sacrificial metamorphosis in death." ''South Asian History and Culture'' 1.1 (2009): 25-41 [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/19472490903387191 online].
* Rudolph, Lloyd I. "Why Rajiv Gandhi’s Death Saved the Congress: How an Event Affected the Outcome of the 1991 Election in India." in ''India Votes'' (Routledge, 2019) pp. 436–454.

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DTKpBiThq0 Harithra Murugan, daughter of Nalini Sriharan and Murugan interview]

{{Sri_Lankan_Civil_War}}
{{Sri Lankan Civil War graphical timeline}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Rajiv}}
[[Category:Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi| ]]
[[Category:Deaths by person in India]]
[[Category:1991 crimes in India]]
[[Category:Suicide bombings in India]]
[[Category:Mass murder in 1991]]
[[Category:May 1991 events in Asia]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in India in 1991]]
[[Category:1991 in India]]
[[Category:Assassinations in India]]
[[Category:Crime in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Civil War casualties]]
[[Category:1990s in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Rajiv Gandhi]]

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Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi