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{{ | {{Short description|1991 murder in Sriperumbudur, India}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}} | {{Use Indian English|date=October 2019}} | ||
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| map_alt = | | map_alt = | ||
| map_caption = | | map_caption = | ||
| location = [[Sriperumbudur]], [[Tamil Nadu]], | | location = [[Sriperumbudur]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India | ||
| target = [[Rajiv Gandhi]] | | target = [[Rajiv Gandhi]] | ||
| coordinates = | | coordinates = | ||
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| timezone = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]] | | timezone = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]] | ||
| type = [[Suicide bombing]] | | type = [[Suicide bombing]] | ||
| fatalities = 16 | | fatalities = 16 (including the perpetrator) | ||
| injuries = 43 | | injuries = 43 | ||
| victims = [[Rajiv Gandhi]] and at least 57 others | | victims = [[Rajiv Gandhi]] and at least 57 others | ||
| perpetrator = | | perpetrator = Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu)<ref name="Kaarthikeyan">{{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> | ||
| assailants = <!-- or | assailant = --> | | assailants = <!-- or | assailant = --> | ||
| susperps = <!-- or | susperp = --> | | susperps = <!-- or | susperp = --> | ||
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| module = | | module = | ||
}} | }} | ||
[[File:Remains of clothing worn by Rajiv Gandhi during | {{Rajiv Gandhi series}} | ||
The '''assassination of Rajiv Gandhi''', former [[Prime Minister of India]], occurred as a result of a [[suicide bombing]] in [[Sriperumbudur]] | [[File:Remains of clothing worn by Rajiv Gandhi during the assassination.jpg|thumb|Remains of clothing worn by Rajiv Gandhi during his assassination]] | ||
[[File:Rajiv Gandhi Memorial bombsite.jpg|thumb|right|240px|The stone mosaic that stands at the location where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in [[Sriperumbudur]]]] | |||
The '''assassination of Rajiv Gandhi''', former [[Prime Minister of India]], occurred as a result of a [[suicide bombing]] in [[Sriperumbudur]] 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 | |title=1991: Bomb kills India's former leader Rajiv Gandhi | ||
|date=1991-05-21 | |date=1991-05-21 | ||
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|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/21/newsid_2504000/2504739.stm | |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/21/newsid_2504000/2504739.stm | ||
|access-date=2008-08-05 | |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 | | 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 Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu),<ref name="Kaarthikeyan"/><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 |date=5 February 2022 |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) along with [[Jagjit Singh Chohan|Dr. Jagjit Singh Chohan]] of the National Council of Khalistan (NCK) and [[Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala]] of the [[Khalistan Liberation Force]]. At the time, India had just ended its [[Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War|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, the government of [[Inder Kumar Gujral]].<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> | ||
==Assassination== | ==Assassination== | ||
<!-- Image with questionable fair-use claim removed:umbudur]], a town approximately 30 miles from [[Madras]], where he was [[assassination|assassinated]] while campaigning for the [[Sriperumbudur]] [[Lok Sabha]] Congress candidate Mrs Maragatham Chandrasekhar in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/1998/jan/11soni1.htm|title=Rediff On The NeT: Sonia checks her emotions, but her interpreter goes full throttle|website=www.rediff.com}}</ref> --> <!-- Bot generated title --> | <!-- Image with questionable fair-use claim removed:umbudur]], a town approximately 30 miles from [[Madras]], where he was [[assassination|assassinated]] while campaigning for the [[Sriperumbudur]] [[Lok Sabha]] Congress candidate Mrs Maragatham Chandrasekhar in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rediff.com/news/1998/jan/11soni1.htm|title=Rediff On The NeT: Sonia checks her emotions, but her interpreter goes full throttle|website=www.rediff.com}}</ref> --> <!-- Bot generated title --> | ||
Rajiv Gandhi was busy campaigning | Rajiv Gandhi was busy election-campaigning 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"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130131042830/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1991-05-22/news/9105220915_1_gandhi-rajiv-chandrashekhar/2 |date=31 January 2013 }} | ||
by Barbara Crossette, ''New York Times'', 22 May 1991, via ''Orlando Sentinel''. Retrieved 2010-07-19. | by Barbara Crossette, ''New York Times'', 22 May 1991, via ''Orlando Sentinel''. Retrieved 2010-07-19.</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 garlanded by many well-wishers, [[Indian National Congress]] workers and school children. The assassin, Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu), 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="Kaarthikeyan"/> | ||
== Victims == | == Victims == | ||
Apart from the suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, several people were killed in the blast on 21 May 1991:<ref name=" | Apart from the suicide bomber Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu), several people were killed in the blast on 21 May 1991:<ref name="Kaarthikeyan"/><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> | ||
* [[Rajiv Gandhi]], former Prime Minister of India | * [[Rajiv Gandhi]], former Prime Minister of India | ||
* Dharman, police constable | * Dharman, police constable | ||
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* Edward Joseph, police inspector | * Edward Joseph, police inspector | ||
* K.S Mohammed Iqbal, police superintendent | * K.S Mohammed Iqbal, police superintendent | ||
* Latha Kannan, Mahila Congress worker, who was with her | * Latha Kannan, Mahila Congress worker, who was with her daughter Kokilavani<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 | * Kokilavani, ten-year-old daughter of Latha Kannan, who sang a poem to [[Rajiv Gandhi|Gandhi]] immediately before the blast | ||
* Darryl Jude Peters, attendee and observer | * Darryl Jude Peters, attendee and observer | ||
* Munuswamy, former member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council | * Munuswamy, former member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council | ||
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==Security lapses== | ==Security lapses== | ||
{{more citations needed|section|date=May 2021}} | {{more citations needed|section|date=May 2021}} | ||
The Supreme Court held that the decision to eliminate Gandhi was | The [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme Court]] held that the decision to eliminate Gandhi was precipitated 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 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 final report, submitted in June 1992, concluded that the security arrangements for the former PM were adequate but that the local [[Indian National Congress|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. | 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 | 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 [[Bhishma Narain Singh]], broke official protocol and twice warned Gandhi about the threat to his life if he visited the state. | ||
[[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: | Journalist Ram Bahadur Rai wrote that: | ||
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==Funeral== | ==Funeral== | ||
[[File:Rajiv Gandhi Memorial path.jpg|left|240px|thumb|Rajiv Gandhi Memorial path, this was the path that Gandhi took before being assassinated.]] | |||
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> | 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> | ||
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==Investigation== | ==Investigation== | ||
Immediately after the assassination, the [[Chandra Shekhar|Chandrasekhar]] government handed the investigation over to the [[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] on 22 May 1991. The agency created a special investigation team under [[D. R. Karthikeyan]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesnacademy.ac.in/board-of-governors-karthikeyan.html|title=Profile of D.R.Karthikeyan|website=www.thesnacademy.ac.in}}</ref> to determine who was responsible for the assassination. The SIT probe confirmed the role of the LTTE in the assassination,<ref name=sit>{{cite web|last1=Subramanian|first1=T.S|title=A mystery solved|url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl1611/16111060.htm|website=www.frontline.in|publisher=Frontline|access-date=10 Aug 2014}}</ref> which was upheld by the Supreme Court of India.<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 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/> | |||
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. | 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. | ||
[[Jagjit Singh Chohan|Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan]] had helped with logistical and tactical support to the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|Tamil Tigers]]. His involvement was only declared in 2016 after about a 15-year speculation. This was evidence to the Jain Committee's report and suspicions that the LTTE had contacted [[Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala]] along with [[Jagjit Singh Chohan]] to plan the plot.<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> | |||
"''LTTE and Punjab ultras spoke of a plan to assassinate Rajiv''." | "''LTTE and Punjab ultras spoke of a plan to assassinate Rajiv''." | ||
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- Sewa Dass Singh, ''Phiruman Akali Dal leader'' (1992) | - Sewa Dass Singh, ''Phiruman Akali Dal leader'' (1992) | ||
==Perpetrator== | |||
The assassination was carried out by Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu).<ref name="Kaarthikeyan" /> She was born on 1 January 1974 in Sri Lanka. Her birth name was Kalaivani Rajaratnam.<ref name="Kaarthikeyan"/> It was after joining the LTTE that she came to be known by the assumed name Thenmozhi. She was from Kupukullai in [[Jaffna Peninsula|Jaffna]], and studied until middle school in [[Batticaloa]].<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><ref name="indiatoday.in"/> 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 bombers). 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> 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="Kaarthikeyan"/> He allegedly was described as [[Velupillai 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. Marital status of Thenmozhi at the time of her death, is not known to the general public. Thenmozhi was survived by her mother, brother Sivavarman and two sisters, one of whom moved to [[France]].<ref name="indiatoday.in"/> | |||
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 | * Murugan alias Sriharan - A [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] operative from Sri Lanka | ||
* Nalini - Wife of Murugan. Nalini is a citizen of India | * Nalini - Wife of Murugan. Nalini is a citizen of India. | ||
* Santhan alias T. Suthenthiraraja - A Sri Lankan national. | * Santhan alias T. Suthenthiraraja - A Sri Lankan national. | ||
* Robert Pious - A Sri Lankan national. Jayakumar - The brother in law of Robert Pious. | * 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> | * 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. | * [[A. G. Perarivalan]] - An Indian citizen who was arrested for supplying a 9-volt battery for the explosive device. | ||
* On November 11, 2022, the Supreme Court of India ordered the release of six convicts in the 1991 Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, after the Tamil Nadu government controversially recommended their remission in March 2016. The release of the six convicts came months after the Supreme Court on May 18 ordered the release of AG Perarivalan, the first of the seven convicts in the case, on grounds of poor health and good conduct. | |||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
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|- | |- | ||
|Shivarasan alias Raghuvaran or Raghu-anna | |Shivarasan alias Raghuvaran or Raghu-anna | ||
|Planning and executing the plot of the assassination | |Planning and executing the plot of the assassination | ||
|[[Udupiddy]] | |[[Udupiddy]] | ||
|[[Suicide]] | |[[Suicide]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[ | |[[Jagjit Singh Chohan|Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan]] and [[Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala]] | ||
|Planning the assassination | |Planning the assassination | ||
| | |[[Urmar Tanda]] and [[Faridkot, Punjab|Faridkot]] | ||
| | |Age and encounter | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Shubha alias Shalini or Nithya | |Shubha alias Shalini or Nithya | ||
|Standby to accompany the human bomb she was also the back-up bomber | |Standby to accompany the human bomb she was also the back-up bomber | ||
|Kupukullai | |[[Jaffna Peninsula|Kupukullai]] | ||
|[[Suicide]] | |[[Suicide]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|Thenmozhi Rajaratnam | |Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu) | ||
|The human bomb | |The human bomb | ||
|Kupukullai | |Kupukullai | ||
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==Supreme Court judgment== | ==Supreme Court judgment== | ||
As per the [[Supreme Court of India]] judgment, by [[K. T. Thomas ( | As per the [[Supreme Court of India]] judgment, by [[K. T. Thomas (judge)|Judge K. T. Thomas]], the killing was carried out due to personal animosity of the LTTE chief [[Prabhakaran]] towards [[Rajiv Gandhi]] 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> 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 /> | 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== | ==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> | 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. | ||
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> | 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> | ||
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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> | 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> | ||
== | ==Jain Commission and other reports== | ||
In | 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<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{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, later proven true.<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> In 1998, it was published in a newspaper that an interim report by the Jain commission made reference to a letter citing unverified information that [[Queen Aishwarya of Nepal|Queen Aishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah]] of [[Nepal]] had asked a courtier general of [[Birendra of Nepal|King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev]] of Nepal, "to arrange for the assassination of Shri Rajiv Gandhi…(for which) Rs 10 crore would be made available.” Also included in the report are said to be the drunken utterances of a policeman confirming the matter.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.himalmag.com/india-nepal-sri-lanka-a-raw-wound/ | title=Raw Wound | date=31 December 1997 }}</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 an interview in 2017, Justice K.T. Thomas had said that "there were serious flaws" in the CBI's investigation | In a report published on 30 October 2012 in [[DNA India|DNA]], K. Ragothaman, former chief investigator of the CBI, talks about his new book ''Conspiracy to Kill Rajiv Gandhi: From the CBI Files'' and tells the reporter that while the CBI had started a preliminary inquiry in which [[M. K. 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]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 October 2012|title=IB hid crucial video on Rajiv Gandhi murder: Book|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_ib-hid-crucial-video-on-rajiv-gandhi-murder-book_1757684}}</ref> In an interview in 2017, Justice K.T. Thomas had said that "there were serious flaws" in the CBI's investigation, 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}} | ||
In the 2001 Norway peace talks, Prabhakaran told the press that the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was a sorrowful event. | |||
In the | 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|date=2006-06-27|title=Tamil Tiger 'regret' over Gandhi|work=[[BBC News]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5122032.stm|access-date=2008-08-05}}</ref> | ||
Months before the assassination, [[Vazhappady K. Ramamurthy]], who served as the president of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee from 1989 to 1994, produced a letter, purportedly from the LTTE threatening to kill him and [[Rajiv Gandhi]], who had called for a tight clamp down of the LTTE activities in Tamil Nadu. The letter signed LTTE written in Tamil said that they had received orders from the leadership to eliminate people opposing their "Eelam struggle". The letter further said the following:<ref>{{cite book |title=LTTE in the eyes of the world |date=1997 |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs |isbn=978-955-649-001-5 |url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/541545}}</ref> | |||
{{Blockquote | |||
|title= | |text="We were made to vacate Ambattur. But we could kill your leader (Mr.Gandhi) no matter where we are based. Do not interfere with our activities. If you continue to interfere, your comrade Parasuraman of Ambattur who sneaked to the police about our presence there, will not be alive"}} | ||
In a 2011 interview, [[Selvarasa Pathmanathan|Kumaran Pathmanathan]], who was the Treasurer of LTTE and its chief arms procurer, apologized to India for Velupillai Prabhakaran's "mistake" of killing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He further said Rajiv's assassination was "well planned and done actually with Prabhakaran and (LTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman). Everyone knows the truth".<ref>{{cite news |title=Top LTTE leader apologizes to India for Rajiv's killing |newspaper=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/top-ltte-leader-apologizes-to-india-for-rajivs-killing/articleshow/8555212.cms}}</ref> | |||
In 2016, solid evidence of the involvement of [[Jagjit Singh Chohan|Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan]] and [[Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala]] were given. In 1995, Sewa Dass Singh had seen Tamil separatists at Chohan's office a month before the assassination. Two other retrieved messages showed how he was in touch with Budhsinghwala about the assassination as well, and they were originally trying to find Haryanvis to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi instead of Tamils and Sikhs.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Terrorism Comes From Us by Barathkumar PKT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Lok Sabha Debates Vol 5 Issue 37}}</ref> | |||
}}</ref> | |||
==Memorial and popular culture== | ==Memorial and popular culture== | ||
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* ''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> | * ''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> | * ''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> | ||
===Films=== | ===Films=== | ||
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* ''[[Cyanide (2006 film)|Cyanide]]'' | * ''[[Cyanide (2006 film)|Cyanide]]'' | ||
* ''[[Madras Cafe]]'' | * ''[[Madras Cafe]]'' | ||
==Notes== | |||
{{notelist}} | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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* 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] | * 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]. | * 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 | * 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== | ==External links== | ||
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Rajiv}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Rajiv}} | ||
[[Category:Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi| ]] | [[Category:Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi| ]] | ||
[[Category:Suicide bombings in 1991]] | |||
[[Category:Deaths by person in India]] | [[Category:Deaths by person in India]] | ||
[[Category:Suicide bombings in India]] | [[Category:Suicide bombings in India]] | ||
[[Category:Mass murder in 1991]] | [[Category:Mass murder in 1991]] | ||
[[Category:May 1991 events in Asia]] | [[Category:May 1991 events in Asia]] | ||
[[Category:May 1991 crimes]] | |||
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in India in 1991]] | [[Category:Terrorist incidents in India in 1991]] | ||
[[Category:1991 in India]] | [[Category:1991 in India]] | ||
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[[Category:1990s in Tamil Nadu]] | [[Category:1990s in Tamil Nadu]] | ||
[[Category:Rajiv Gandhi]] | [[Category:Rajiv Gandhi]] | ||
[[Category:Filmed assassinations]] | |||
[[Category:1991 murders in India]] | |||
[[Category:People killed during the Sri Lankan Civil War]] | |||
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]] | |||
[[Category:Attacks on civilians attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] | |||