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. Immediately after the assassination, the Chandrasekhar government handed the investigation over to the CBI on 22 May 1991. As many as 14 others were killed and over 40 others injured in the blast. Thenmozhi Rajaratnam. A statefuneral was held for Rajiv Gandhi on 24 May 1991. The Congress subsequently brought down the United Front (UF) government of I K Gujral after the report was leaked in November 1998. Thenmozhi Rajaratnam Birthday and Date of Death. Pastabusesrevisited|AmnestyInternational, "IntheSupremeCourtofIndiaCriminalAppellateJurisdiction", "IregretRajivGandhi'sassassination:Nalini", "Mysinswashedaway,saysNaliniSriharan", "RajivGandhiassassinNaliniSriharannottobefreed", "RajivGandhi'sassassinNalinigetsback'A'classjailfacilities", "RajivGandhi'skillerNalinibreaksdown", "NalinishiftedfromVellorejailtoPuzhal", "After19yrsinjailforRajivmurder,Nalinimaybefreed", "ProbeChandraswami'sroleinRajivcase-Jainreport", "CBIseesgodman'sroleinRajiv'skilling", "IBhidcrucialvideoonRajivGandhimurder:Book", "TopLTTEleaderapologizestoIndiaforRajiv'skilling", "RajivGandhiassassinationvideosuppressed,claimsbook", "LTTE'smessagesshowwhyGandhi'smurdershouldbere-probed(Part-1)". she joined the Tamil Tigers movement in hopes of establishing the independent state of Tamil Eelam on Sri Lanka. They are currently undergoing life imprisonment in prisons in India. Assassinations of high-level officials are far harder to carry out than random attacks on marketplaces or transportation hubs, and Dhanu worked with a large team of accomplices that carried out dry runs at the site. Dhanu, wearing a bomb suit, denoted herself while she was bending to touch Gandhis feet. 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. [35][36] 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. Nalini was shifted back to Vellore prison from Puzhal prison amidst tight security on 7 September 2011. Gandhi, his assassin and 14 others were killed in the explosion that followed, along with 43 others who were grievously injured. [7] 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. Website Designed, Developed & Maintained by Express Network Private Ltd. Rajiv Gandhi, India's sixth Prime Minister, was assassinated on 21 May 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. 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.[28]. The assassin, Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu), approached and greeted him. An LTTE activist named Thenmozhi Rajaratnam detonated an RDX-laden suicide belt while greeting Rajiv at a function. The bomber bent down to touch the former PM's feet during a poll rally and detonated an RDX explosive-laden belt tucked below her dress at 10.10 pm. Why Was Rajiv Gandhi Assassinated? The Second Angle On 29 July 1987, the extremist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam entered into a peace agreement with the Sri Lankan government that was brokered by India. [33] Confessions given by the accused to the Superintendent of Police are taken as evidence against the accused under TADA. Tobin Harshaw writes editorials on national security, military affairs and education. A high proportion of the female bombers are in their mid- or even early teens, perhaps some of them survivors of the mass abduction of schoolgirls in the town of Chibok two years ago. "Why Rajiv Gandhi's Death Saved the Congress: How an Event Affected the Outcome of the 1991 Election in India." | Express Photo, In 1990, the LTTE, under Veluppillai Prabhakaran, reportedly summoned four of his trusted lieutenants to physically eliminate the Indian Prime Minister. Disclaimer : We respect your thoughts and views! [citation needed], In the 2001 Norway peace talks, Prabhakaran told the press that the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was a sorrowful event. However, the court confirmed that the death sentence was given to only four of the convicts, including Nalini, on 11 May 1999. However, the MadrasHighCourt intervened and stayed their execution for eight weeks based on their petitions. The letter signed LTTE written in Tamil said that they had received orders from the leadership to eliminate people opposing their "Eelam struggle". ! Thought to have been a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (Tamil Tigers), her birth year has not been conclusively established, but research shows that she was still a minor at the time. | Express Photo, Seventy-year-old Anandraj, a Dravida Kazhagam activist, in whose house at Anna Nagar in Naavalpattu, the LTTE hardcore militant Santhan committed suicide by consuming cyanide. The report concluded that the DMK had provided sanctuary to the LTTE, which made it easier for the rebels to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.[20]. History for UPSC, Rajiv Gandhi Assassination | UPSC Polity | Why SC Released Convicts? [5][6], Rajiv Gandhi was busy election-campaigning with G.K. Moopanar in southern states of India. The assassination was carried out by Kalaivani Rajaratnam. [1] It was after joining the LTTE that she came to be known by the assumed name Thenmozhi. [22][23] 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). Rajaratnam's eldest daughter from the second marriage was Kalaivani, also known as Thenmozhi or Dhanu. If you believe CBI, Dhanu didn't die in the blast that - DNA India 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. The instruction given in the upper levels of the training -- Primary Four, Five and Six -- was a closely guarded secret among the fighters. [21][22] 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).