Chennai: Released Convict in Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case Dies

CHENNAI: One of the individuals acquitted in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, T Suthendraraja also known as Santha, died at the Rajiv Gandhi Government hospital in Chennai.

Santhan, one of the seven convicts who were released, was earlier hospitalized in January in critical condition.

The Sri Lankan national was released from the Central prison at Velore in November 2022 following the Supreme Court’s decision after spending 32 years in prison.

Santhan was transferred from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Trichy after being diagnosed with cryptogenic cirrhosis, a condition that lacks an apparent underlying cause.

The Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) under the Union Ministry of External Affairs issued an emergency travel document for 56-year-old Santhan last week, facilitating his immediate return to Sri Lanka.

Rajiv Gandhi, the former prime minister, was assassinated by a female suicide bomber named Dhanu at a political rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on the night of May 21, 1991.

The explosion claimed the lives of at least 13 individuals, with over 40 sustaining injuries.

The seven convicts, Nalini Sriharan, RP Ravichandran, Jayakumar, Santhan, Murugan, Robert Payas, and AG Perarivalan, were originally sentenced to death for their involvement in the killing.

However, Santhan and five other convicts—Nalini Sriharan, Sriharan, Robert Payas, Jayakumar, and Ravichandran—were later released from various prisons after serving more than 32 years behind bars.

As per the CBI, Santhan arrived in Tamil Nadu in April 1991, he was recommended by the LTTE mastermind Sivarasan in February 1988 to pursue studies in Madras (Chennai) and was identified as a member of the LTTE’s intelligence wing.

In February 1990, Santhan secured admission at the Madras Institute of Engineering Technology, with his expense being covered by the LTTE. He was charged for his close association with Sivarasan in the conspiracy to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.

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