The suicide bombing was carried out by Thenmozhi. It's a familiar cocktail seen in the previous conflicts riven by suicide attacks. The Congress subsequently brought down the United Front (UF) government of I K Gujral after the report was leaked in November 1998. She "regrets" the killing of the former Prime Minister and claims that the real conspirators have not been booked yet. Hence it was held that it was not a terrorist act under TADA (Act). History for UPSC, Rajiv Gandhi Assassination | UPSC Polity | Why SC Released Convicts? 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. The assassination was caught on film by a local photographer, Haribabu,[9] whose camera and film was found intact at the site despite him also dying in the blast. 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. "Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu's sacrificial metamorphosis in death. The first two levels were Quranic training. The agency created a special investigation team under D. R. Karthikeyan[18] to determine who was responsible for the assassination. Legal experts were divided. 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. Aditya Mehta is a writer, musician and vedic astrology researcher who also studies palmistry and numerology. However, the court confirmed that the death sentence was given to only four of the convicts, including Nalini, on 11 May 1999. [27][28] Judge Thomas further stated that conspiracy was hatched in stages commencing from 1987 and that it spanned several years. In the Jain report, various people and agencies are named as suspected of having been involved in the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former PrimeMinisterofIndia, occurred as a result of a suicidebombing in Sriperumbudur in TamilNadu, India on 21 May 1991. The LTTE decision to kill him was perhaps aimed at preventing him from coming to power again. Harithra Murugan, daughter of Nalini Sriharan and Murugan interview, Template:Sri Lankan Civil War graphical timeline, https://en.bharatpedia.org/index.php?title=Assassination_of_Rajiv_Gandhi&oldid=375996, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu), Shivarasan alias Raghuvaran or Raghu-anna, Planning and executing the plot of the assassination, Standby to accompany the human bomb she was also the back-up bomber, K.S Mohammed Iqbal, police superintendent, Latha Kannan, Mahila Congress worker, who was with her daughter Kokilavani, Kokilavani, ten-year-old daughter of Latha Kannan, who sang a poem to, 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. [15], Following his assassination, Rajiv Gandhi's mutilated body was airlifted to New Delhi. Thus the rise in attacks by Boko Haram -- the Times reported that the group has used at least 105 women and girls in attacks over the last 22 months -- should be no surprise. Along the way, he was garlanded by many well-wishers, Indian National Congress workers and school children. As Perari walks free, memories return to haunt victims' families Kaarthikenyan, D. R., and Radhavinod Raju. Liked by Thenmozhi Rajendran. 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. 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, 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. "Where words leave off, music begins!". The trial was conducted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act. 2,000 ", - Sewa Dass Singh, Phiruman Akali Dal leader (1992), The assassination was carried out by Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu). Gandhi has only seconds to live as the suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam approaches him while he engages local people in conversation at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu State. StateofTamilNaduthroughSuperintendentofpolice,CBI/SITv/sNaliniand25others. Indias premier investigative agency the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) just doesnt seem to get it right. Do not interfere with our activities. But we could kill your leader (Mr.Gandhi) no matter where we are based. Here is a look back at the traumatic incident. The Narasimha Rao government initially rejected Verma's findings but later accepted it under pressure. Under the TADA an accused can appeal only to the SupremeCourt. Meet the Karunanidhi clan: The vast family tree of TN's departed leader Thenmozhi Rajaratnam (1 January 1974-21 May 1991) was a female suicide bomber of the Tamil Tigers who killed Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi on 21 May 1991. The agency, while patting its own back on investigation into the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, has said Thenmozhi Rajaratnam alias Dhanu of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was sentenced to death by the trial court as well as the Supreme Court. However, the state government rejected her request. The SIT probe confirmed the role of the LTTE in the assassination,[19] which was upheld by the Supreme Court of India. | Express Photo, Samdani Begam with Rajiv Gandhi moments before the assassination at Sriperumbudur. A state funeral was held for Rajiv Gandhi on 24 May 1991. If you believe CBI, Dhanu didn't die in the blast that - DNA India About Us | Privacy Policy | Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, also known as Kalaivani Rajaratnam, Dhanu or Gayatri, the human bomb, was inspired by LTTE at a young age and joined the Black Tigers (suicide bombers). Today, the site where he was cremated is known as Veerbhumi. [26] Additionally, the Rajiv Gandhi administration had antagonised other Tamil militant organisations like PLOTE for reversing the military coup in Maldives back in 1988. | Express photo, The India-brokered attempt peace was not to the liking of the Sinhalese as well the LTTE. Supreme Court judgment Legal experts were divided. The Indian government investigation of the Gandhi assassination discovered a plan of striking sophistication plotted over many months. [36][37] 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. [57][58], Template:Sri Lankan Civil War How to pronounce Thenmozhi Rajaratnam | HowToPronounce.com 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. 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, 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. Despite no action, the findings raised vital questions that have previously been consistently raised by political analysts. [1], Apart from the suicide bomber Kalaivani Rajaratnam, several people were killed in the blast on 21 May 1991:[1][10][11], Around forty-three bystanders including police sub-inspector Anushiya Daisy were also injured in the explosion.[13]. 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. [37] The execution of the three convicts was scheduled for 9 September 2011. Copyright - newindianexpress.com 2023. 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". On 28 January 1998, the designated TADA court in Chennai gave death sentences to all the 26 accused. But by all accounts they appear to be just as committed as male rebels to freeing their homeland from what they see as foreign subjugation. "Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu's sacrificial metamorphosis in death. However, on 21 May 1991,. [30][31] This created a storm in India. 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". The SIT probe confirmed the role of the LTTE in the assassination,[19] which was upheld by the Supreme Court of India. Destruction of homes, deaths of family members and squalid conditions at refugee camps are multiplying effects. Rajiv, Begum and 15 others were killed. The instruction given in the upper levels of the training -- Primary Four, Five and Six -- was a closely guarded secret among the fighters. Thirumavalavan with VCK have supported Congress under Sonia Gandhi in the past. The assassination was carried out by an LTTE suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam also known as Dhanu. She "regrets" the killing of the former Prime Minister and claims that the real conspirators have not been booked yet. These instances had cause major embarrassment to CBI and the Indian government. Also other strong LTTE sympathizers Vaiko with MDMK and Thol. Dhanu, whose hair is adorned with jasmine flowers, is the belt bomber who killed Rajiv Gandhi in the explosion | Express Photo, Seven pillars surround the site of the blast at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial. In terms of competence, he said, "coercion brings the worst you have to offer"; in contrast, many of these women are -- like Dhanu -- highly capable. Thenmozhi was the daughter of a Sri Lankan Tamil man named A. Rajaratnam and his second wife. In 1991, she was sent to kill Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India in a suicide bombing in response to his deployment of Indian Army peacekeepers to the island during the Sri Lankan Civil War, heading to kill him at the village of Sriperumbudur (25 miles from Chennai) while he was at a rally. She bent down on the pretext to touch Rajiv Gandhi's speech and instead detonated an RDX explosive belt tucked under her dress, killing her, Rajiv Gandhi, and 14 others. 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. The letter further said the following:[52], "We were made to vacate Ambattur. 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.[16]. Feroz Rashid Khan was lodged in the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai and was facing trial in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case. "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. It is part of CBI archives. You could also do it yourself at any point in time. Under the TADA an accused can appeal only to the Supreme Court. Rajaratnam belonged to the former group. Judge Wadhwa further stated there was nothing on record to show that the intention to kill Rajiv Gandhi was to overawe the government. ! Tobin Harshaw writes editorials on national security, military affairs and education. she joined the Tamil Tigers movement in hopes of establishing the independent state of Tamil Eelam on Sri Lanka. Thenmozhi "Gayatri" Rajaratnam (died 21 May 1991) was the assassin who killed Rajiv Gandhi, herself, and 14 others in a suicide bombing on May 21, 1991, in the Indian town of Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, near Chennai. Do not interfere with our activities. 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". A state funeral was held for Rajiv Gandhi on 24 May 1991. [50][51], Months before the assassination, VazhappadyK.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 RajivGandhi, who had called for a tight clamp down of the LTTE activities in Tamil Nadu.