An event organised in Coimbatore to honor Perarivalan has stirred controversy after he was gifted a portrait of LTTE founder, an organisation that was behind the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
Perarivalan, one for the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was released after the Supreme Court’s intervention. (Photo: India Today)
AG Perarivalan, Rajiv Gandhi’s killer, was gifted a portrait of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) founder on Monday. The event, held to honor Perarivalan, has courted controversy as a suicide bomber part of the militant organisation was behind the murder of the former prime minister.
A portrait of LTTE founder Prabhakaran with the word ‘leader’ written on it was gifted to Perarivalan in the presence of his mother Arputhammal in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore.
Perarivalan along with six others were convicted for the assassination of the former Prime minister. He was, however, released after the Supreme Court’s intervention.
READ | SC releases Rajiv Gandhi’s killer after 31 years | Case timeline
Perarivalan served 31 years in jail. He was just 19 years old when he was convicted based on his confession. Perarivalan was accused of buying batteries for an LTTE member who was the mastermind behind the assassination. The batteries were used in the bomb that killed Rajiv Gandhi.
The Supreme Court released Perarivalan on grounds that the Tamil Nadu Governor did not have the right to inordinately delay taking a decision on his mercy petition.
The other convicts are Nalini, her husband Murugan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Ravichandran and Robert Pious. All are currently serving life terms.
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in May 1991.