Rajiv Gandhi killers set free; what did they do in 1991?

The release of six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case by the Supreme Court has evoked mixed reactions. There have been celebrations at one end, but there has also been outrage. Indignant citizens are pointing out that releasing Nalini, Murugan and others is as odious as releasing the convicts in the Bilkis Bano rape and murder case.

For a quick recall, Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber when he was participating in an election campaign in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on May 21, 1991. An investigation was quickly launched. Some of the accused died close to arrest, by consuming poison from cyanide capsules. The rest were swiftly apprehended and given life sentences.

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The CBI Special Court which heard the case under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, or TADA, initially sentenced 26 to death which was commuted to life term later. Finally, seven of them were still in prison till Perarivalan was released this May. That left six in prison till last week, when they were all released by a Supreme Court order.

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The Federal looks at the charges against each of the six and how exactly were they involved in the killing of the former Prime Minister.

A1: Nalini Sriharan – she bought the clothes

Nalini is one of the surviving convicts along with Santhan who were at the assassination spot. Since 10 of the accused killed themselves and three were declared absconders, Nalini was the primary accused (A1) in the case. She was proven guilty of plotting and killing Rajiv. Her brother Bhagyanathan had confessed that she “knew about the plan to kill Rajiv Gandhi.”

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Nalini facilitated the assassination by being the cover of suicide bombers Dhanu and Subha. The suicide bombers had two switches to detonate the bomb hidden under the vest, and their clothes had to allow easy operations.

Nalini bought specialised, oversized kurtas that the duo wore to camouflage the bombs.

Then a 24-year-old stenographer, Nalini fell in love with Sriharan alias Murugan, an active member of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). She is said to have helped Dhanu and Subha approach Rajiv Gandhi.

After the assassination, Nalini, along with other suspects, was living in a “safe house”. They were reportedly reading newspaper accounts of the killing, in a reflection of the cold-blooded nature of their crime. Three days after Rajiv’s death, Nalini was seen doing angapradakshinam at the Tirupati Balaji temple.

A2: Santhan – he dressed like a Congressman

Santhan (T Suthenthiraraja) was an operative of the LTTE intelligence wing. He is supposed to have closely worked with Sivarasan, the mastermind of the Rajiv assassination who killed himself in Bengaluru when he was about to be caught.

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Santhan was part of the LTTE cadres who reached Kodiyakarai in the garb of refugees to kill Rajiv. From there, they spread out to various locations in Tamil Nadu to avoid detection.

Santhan stayed in Chennai to facilitate the assassination, making him one of the key members in the plot. He reportedly helped Sivarasan stay in Chennai.

Santhan dressed himself as a Congress worker to ensure the suicide bombers got close to Rajiv. The LTTE’s penchant for documenting its terrorist acts exposed the links. Some of the pictures shot by Haribabu, the photographer hired by the LTTE squad, showed Santhan in the close circle of Rajiv, moments before the former PM was killed.

A3: Murugan – he spoke ‘Indian Tamil’

An LTTE activist, Sriharan alias Murugan is a Sri Lankan citizen. He reportedly used Nalini as a cover — being the lover and, later, the husband of an Indian citizen living in Chennai provided him easy access to move around. The fact that he used multiple names — Sriharan, Murugan, Indu Master — shows how he tried to cover his tracks.

Murugan’s advantage was that he spoke ‘Indian’ Tamil, whereas Tamilians from Sri Lanka speak a distinct dialect that can be quickly spotted. This helped him blend with the crowd easily.

A9: Robert Payas – he handled communication devices

An LTTE commando team member, Robert Payas came to India as a Sri Lankan refugee along with his family in 1990. He reached Chennai and stayed at his relative Santhi’s (A11) place. As part of the assassination plan, the group took three houses on rent, so that they could switch places without being easily detected.

A wireless communication device was installed in the Porur (Chennai) house, named station No 95, to facilitate easy communication by the conspirators. The device was used to communicate not just with Sivarasan, head of the assassination plot, but also the intelligence chief of LTTE, Pottu Amman. Houses in Delhi and Jaipur were also arranged for rent as per Sivarasan’s orders and finances provided.

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In 2017, Payas wrote to the Tamil Nadu government, requesting mercy killing. “I’ve been in prison for more than 27 years now…I can understand the intention of the government and as none of my family members have come to see me, I don’t find any more purpose in life,” he wrote. Last week, he walked free.

A-11: Jayakumar – he hosted the killers

Jayakumar accompanied Payas in landing in India as a refugee. A house was taken for rent in Porur in his name. Subha and Dhanu, the suicide bombers, stayed in his home. Sivarasan was also accommodated in the house later on.

Nalini reportedly stayed in the house of Jayakumar and his wife Shanthi, away from her hometown of Vellore. Since Santhan wasn’t comfortable staying with Haribabu, the photographer who died in the suicide bombing, he also shifted to the house of Jayakumar.

A-16: Ravichandran – he roped in supporters

An Indian Tamilian, Ravichandran (alias Ravi) had gone to Jaffna to get trained in using armaments in LTTE camps. Alleged atrocities by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) on Sri Lankan Tamils were used to convince him to be part of the assassination plot.

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Ravi was entrusted with roping in more people who would help LTTE in India — sympathisers of Sri Lankan Tamil separatists. He had confessed to getting arms training on Indian soil and LTTE camps in Sri Lanka. He was reportedly in support of LTTE’s call for a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka, which led him to join the militant organisation.