No mercy, 3 Rajiv killers
to hang on Sept 9
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Chennai, August 27: The three
men facing death penalty for the
1991 assassination of former
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi will
be hanged on September 9 at
Tamil Nadu's Vellore prison, a jail
official said on Friday.
Prison Superintendent R
Arivudainambi on Friday
afternoon received the official
communication to carry out the
execution of Murugan, Santhan
and Perarivalan.
"We have informed the convicts
about the date of hanging. The
execution will be (carried out)
September 9 early morning,"
Arivudainambi said.
He said the movement of the
convicts inside the prison will be
restricted from now on.
"If they want any books from
the library, they will be provided
inside their cells but they won't
be allowed to visit the library,"
he said.
Family members will still be
allowed to meet them, he added.
On August 11, President Pratibha
Patil rejected the mercy petition
of the three men who were
linked to the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which
ordered Gandhi's killing.
A woman suicide bomber blew
up Gandhi, who was prime
minister of India from 1984 to
1989, at an election rally in Sri
Perumbudur near Chennai on
May 21, 1991.
In 1998, all 26 accused in the
case - including the three - were
sentenced to die by a special trial
court.
In 1999, the Supreme Court
confirmed the death sentences
of four: Murugan, Santhan and
Perarivalan and Nalini, an Indian
woman who had assisted the
killer squad.
The capital punishment of the
others was reduced to varying
terms of imprisonment.
The death sentence of Nalini,
who married Murugan and
became a mother in prison, was
commuted to life imprisonment
after her mercy petition was
accepted.
The petition had the
recommendation of Sonia
Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi's widow.
Murugan, Santhan and
Perarivalan and the others were
charged with criminal conspiracy
that led to Gandhi's killing. They
then petitioned the Indian
president.
Meanwhile, more and more
people in Tamil Nadu are
demanding that the three should
not be hanged.
PMK founder S Ramadoss urged
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to
save the three from the gallows.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko
has made a similar appeal to
Jayalalithaa.
On Friday, Puthiya Tamizhagam
leader K. Krishnasamy walked
out of the state assembly after
the speaker did not allow him to
raise the issue.
to hang on Sept 9
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Chennai, August 27: The three
men facing death penalty for the
1991 assassination of former
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi will
be hanged on September 9 at
Tamil Nadu's Vellore prison, a jail
official said on Friday.
Prison Superintendent R
Arivudainambi on Friday
afternoon received the official
communication to carry out the
execution of Murugan, Santhan
and Perarivalan.
"We have informed the convicts
about the date of hanging. The
execution will be (carried out)
September 9 early morning,"
Arivudainambi said.
He said the movement of the
convicts inside the prison will be
restricted from now on.
"If they want any books from
the library, they will be provided
inside their cells but they won't
be allowed to visit the library,"
he said.
Family members will still be
allowed to meet them, he added.
On August 11, President Pratibha
Patil rejected the mercy petition
of the three men who were
linked to the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which
ordered Gandhi's killing.
A woman suicide bomber blew
up Gandhi, who was prime
minister of India from 1984 to
1989, at an election rally in Sri
Perumbudur near Chennai on
May 21, 1991.
In 1998, all 26 accused in the
case - including the three - were
sentenced to die by a special trial
court.
In 1999, the Supreme Court
confirmed the death sentences
of four: Murugan, Santhan and
Perarivalan and Nalini, an Indian
woman who had assisted the
killer squad.
The capital punishment of the
others was reduced to varying
terms of imprisonment.
The death sentence of Nalini,
who married Murugan and
became a mother in prison, was
commuted to life imprisonment
after her mercy petition was
accepted.
The petition had the
recommendation of Sonia
Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi's widow.
Murugan, Santhan and
Perarivalan and the others were
charged with criminal conspiracy
that led to Gandhi's killing. They
then petitioned the Indian
president.
Meanwhile, more and more
people in Tamil Nadu are
demanding that the three should
not be hanged.
PMK founder S Ramadoss urged
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to
save the three from the gallows.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko
has made a similar appeal to
Jayalalithaa.
On Friday, Puthiya Tamizhagam
leader K. Krishnasamy walked
out of the state assembly after
the speaker did not allow him to
raise the issue.
