CHENNAI: On the 31st death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Tamil Nadu Congress President K S Azhagiri expressed pain over the release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict A G Perarivalan and said that the celebrations of his release is a matter of disappointment for the party.
“People celebrating the release of Rajiv Gandhi killers (Perarivalan) is hurting us. I pray to God to give knowledge to the few celebrating now. We want justice for Rajiv Gandhi’s death,” he said. Rajiv Gandhi was killed by terrorists and they do not accept terrorism and extremism. “An individual can have any religion, but the government should have no religion,” he added.
Perarivalan was granted the release by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. He was serving life imprisonment in connection with Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.
Anusuya Daisy Ernest, the policewoman from Kanchipuram police station, who was deployed for the VIP convoy during the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, said, “It is an injustice to the families of the victims and those who were injured are still seeking justice.”
“All the people’s money is being wasted as they have released the VIP convict after 31 years while the ordinary accused remains in the jail,” she added while calling it “ashamed” that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leaders were celebrating Perarivalan’s release.
Congress cadres from various states as well as the families of other persons who died along with the former PM gathered at Sriperumbudur, the town where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, and paid respects to him.
Rajiv Gandhi took charge of the Congress in 1984 following the assassination of his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He became India’s youngest Prime Minister at the age of 40 when he assumed office in October 1984 and served till December 2, 1989.
Born on August 20 in 1944, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on 21 May 1991. (ANI)