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. Under the TADA an accused can appeal only to the SupremeCourt. She was born on 1 January 1974 in Sri Lanka. 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. "Why Rajiv Gandhi's Death Saved the Congress: How an Event Affected the Outcome of the 1991 Election in India." In fact, the then governor of Tamil Nadu BhishmaNarainSingh, broke official protocol and twice warned Gandhi about the threat to his life if he visited the state. But in her way, the Tamil Tiger terrorist -- who blew up herself, the Indian leader Rajiv Gandhi and 13 others in May 1991 -- has perhaps had the largest lasting influence. Rate the pronunciation difficulty of Thenmozhi Rajaratnam. A state funeral was held for Rajiv Gandhi on 24 May 1991. A statefuneral was held for Rajiv Gandhi on 24 May 1991. After garlanding Rajiv, Rajaratnam evidently stooped to touch his feet and activated the explosive. 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. 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. The instruction given in the upper levels of the training -- Primary Four, Five and Six -- was a closely guarded secret among the fighters. 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". Kaarthikenyan, D. R., and Radhavinod Raju. Arrested on 14 June 1991, she was sentenced to death, along with the other 25 accused. Thenmozhi was survived by her mother, brother Sivavarman and two sisters, one of whom moved to France.[22]. Tobin Harshaw writes editorials on national security, military affairs and education. "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. 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. Seven pillars surround the site of the blast, at the, Remains of clothing worn by Rajiv Gandhi during his assassination, The stone mosaic that stands at the location where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in, Rajiv Gandhi escapes an attempt on his life by a Sri Lankan Naval Cadet, How were Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi killed? [31] Human rights groups protested that the trial did not meet the standards of a free trial. She then bent down to touch his feet and detonated an RDX explosive-ladenbelt tucked below her dress at exactly 10:10 PM. Thomas had said that "there were serious flaws" in the CBI's investigation, particularly related to the seizure of Rs. The Narasimha Rao government initially rejected Verma's findings but later accepted it under pressure. Kaarthikenyan, D. R., and Radhavinod Raju. Shift to India Gradually, the Puli Padai withered away. She argued that even life convicts were released after 14 years. On 28 January 1998, the designated TADA court in Chennai gave death sentences to all the 26 accused. The special investigation team of India's premier special investigation agency CentralBureauofInvestigation was not able to pinpoint when the decision to kill Rajiv Gandhi was taken.[28]. 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. [20], The interim report of Justice Milap Chand Jain, looking into the conspiracy angle to the assassination, indicted the DMK for colluding with the LTTE. [23] Thenmozhi was the daughter of a Sri Lankan Tamil man named A. Rajaratnam[22] and his second wife. [33] Confessions given by the accused to the Superintendent of Police are taken as evidence against the accused under TADA. The letter further said the following:[52], "We were made to vacate Ambattur. However, the Madras High Court intervened and stayed their execution for eight weeks based on their petitions. Sana'a Mehaidli, a Syrian who blew herself up next to an Israeli convoy in Lebanon in 1985, was not only the first female suicide bomber but also one of the first terrorists to make a so-called martyr video, now the de rigueur way of expressing one's devotion to the cause posthumously. New Delhi: The former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21 in 1991 by a suicide bomber in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai. 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. 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". [30][31] This created a storm in India. 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. In the Jain report, various people and agencies are named as suspected of having been involved in the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. Thenmozhi Rajaratnam. [32] The trial was held behind closed doors, in camera, and the identity of witnesses was not disclosed. [1] 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. 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. "Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu's sacrificial metamorphosis in death. However, the Madras High Court intervened and stayed their execution for eight weeks based on their petitions. When you first hear the name Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, it doesn't seem to hold much significance - it's a name that doesn't really make you pause and think for a moment. SubramanianSwamy said in his book, Sri Lanka in Crisis: India's Options (2007), that an LTTE delegation had met Rajiv Gandhi on 5 March 1991. [1] 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. 14 others were also killed in the south Indian town of Sriperumbudur near Chennai. Hence it was held that it was not a terrorist act under TADA (Act). [29][30] This created a storm in India. [44][45][46] One of the accused, Ranganath, said Chandraswami was the godfather who financed the killing. She "regrets" the killing of the former Prime Minister and claims that the real conspirators have not been booked yet. [37] The execution of the three convicts was scheduled for 9 September 2011. However, the state government rejected her request. Thenmozhi Rajaratnam died on May 21, 1991. Will be in Basel with Premier Research this week for the #DIA !! 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. [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. She was from Kupukullai in Jaffna, and studied until middle school in Batticaloa. [25] Additionally, the Rajiv Gandhi administration had antagonised other Tamil militant organisations like PLOTE for reversingthemilitarycoup in Maldives back in 1988. Tobin Harshaw writes editorials on national security, military affairs and education. | 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. Nalini is a citizen of India. Bloomberg View. 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. Indeed, time and again, the female terrorists in these struggles appear highly motivated. The report concluded that the DMK had provided sanctuary to the LTTE, which made it easier for the rebels to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.[20]. The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former PrimeMinisterofIndia, occurred as a result of a suicidebombing in Sriperumbudur in TamilNadu, India on 21 May 1991. 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. Ms A. Athirai, an accused, was 17 years old when she was arrested. Thailands National Vaccine Institute (NVI) has joined hands with the US Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) for vaccines against tuberculosis, including Messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. The Narasimha Rao government initially rejected Verma's findings but later accepted it under pressure. 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. ", Rudolph, Lloyd I. Another delegation met him around 14 March 1991 in New Delhi. Feroz Rashid Khan was lodged in the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai and was facing trial in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case. 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. Nalini - Wife of Murugan. [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]. [23] Thenmozhi was the daughter of a Sri Lankan Tamil man named A. Rajaratnam[22] and his second wife. in. Thenmozhi "Gayatri" Rajaratnam more famously known as 'Dhanu' blew herself on 21 May 1991 in a suicide bombing attack to assassinate former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Nalini was shifted back to Vellore prison from Puzhal prison amidst tight security on 7 September 2011. 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. Tucked under the bunched fabric of dresses or religious gowns, explosives are easy to conceal." 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. She then bent down to touch his feet and detonated an RDX explosive-laden belt tucked below her dress at exactly 10:10 PM. | Express Photo, Samdani Begam with Rajiv Gandhi moments before the assassination at Sriperumbudur. 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". The grainy tape shows not a pawn but a woman eager to kill Israelis. Nalini - Wife of Murugan. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. However, no action was taken on the recommendations of the commission. [26], 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. (Express Photo) The trial was conducted under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act.