According to One India report, the Tamil Nadu government has taken a resolution to demand release of the seven persons sentenced for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The resolution was adopted by the state cabinet under the leadership of Chief Minister K. Palaniswami. It decided to put forward proposal to Governor Banwarilal Purohit, to release Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, Jayakumar, Ravichandran, Robert Payas and Nalini, serving life imprisonment. All these convicts have been imprisoned for last 27 years.
Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991 by a suicide bomber from the LTTE at Sriperumbudur, a village approximately 40 km from Chennai. The attack was carried out by Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, also known as Dhanu. The explosion claimed the life of Rajiv Gandhi along with 14 others. He was assassinated while campaigning for the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha Congress candidate.
The decision of Tamil Nadu has come days after the apex Court asked the Governor Purohit to examine the mercy petition of Perarivalan requesting remission or pardon under Article 161 of the Constitution and disposed of the Centre’s petition opposing Tamil Nadu government’s earlier resolution for the release of the convicts.
After the apex court’s move, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to put forward the proposal of release of all other convicts as they had also filed petition requesting for premature release, Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar told reporters. He also added that cabinet resolution will be sent to the Governor without any delay.
The latest move of the Tamil Nadu is controversial and questionable at many levels. This will send a very wrong message. The most shocking thing is that even the Congress party also extended its support to the decision which makes it a party with no self-respect at all. In March, Rahul Gandhi had said, “We have forgiven our father’s killers”. This is a very important case where a former PM was killed by members of a terrorist organization but the political parties are passionately willing to forgive them only just to get some political mileage. Moreover, the logic that Rajiv Gandhi’s family has granted pardon to his killers is absurd mainly for two reasons:
First, Rajiv Gandhi was not the only one who died in that incident. In the suicide bombing, 14 other people including 9 policemen also lost their lives. Why are we forgetting about the families of those policemen and other innocent people? Are they lesser mortals than the Gandhis? Do their opinions not matter?
Second, it doesn’t even matter at all if his family has forgiven the killers. In India, we have the rule of law for a reason. Moreover, what kind of precedent does it set, and what kind of reputation does it give India if a PM’s killers are allowed to walk free? It would send a wrong message that killers of PM are allowed to get away just because of vote bank politics. And also it will give a start to a new dangerous trend to woo the voters. It would be a drastic step in the wrong run. Such a step would give a boost to other lunatic people and they will also toy with the idea to assassinate PM or any other stalwart leader of the country. Just recently, Maharashtra police exposed the plot to assassinate PM Modi. In order to set the precedence right, these killers should not be pardoned.
And more importantly, the decision to release the convicts would have international ramifications as well. We might end up spoiling relations with our neighbours.
So, the government of Tamil Nadu should reconsider its resolution once again and take the next step after deep contemplation which would be in the interest of the country.