It has been three decades since they received the charred remains of their loved ones, who died in the same incident as former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and the voices for pardoning those involved in the LTTE attack are growing. But for the families of those who were killed in the attack, forgiveness is not a choice. With the Supreme Court now giving Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit a week to decide on the mercy plea of one of the convicts — AG Perarivalan — these families say they will oppose if the 39-year-old is released.
"When the state assembly passed a resolution to allow for Perarivalan to be released and sent the same to the Governor, we approached the Governor to ask that Perarivalan not be pardoned," says S Abbas, a mobile repair shop owner from Chennai. Abbas was just eight years old when his widowed mother S Samdhani Begum, a Congress leader, left their home to attend former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's public meeting in Sriperumbudur. "Governor Banwarilal Purohit had promised us that no such release will be allowed and he has kept his word. We believe that all the convicts will remain in prison and even if they are released we will take the matter to the Supreme Court again," he adds.
Perarivalan or Arivu, the son of a Tamil poet named Kuyildasan and Arputhamal, was 20 years old when Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, and was arrested on June 18, 1991. The primary charge against him was taking LTTE leader Sivarasan to a motor shop on May 4, 1991 and buying a motorcycle in his own name but giving an incorrect address. Perarivalan also bought two batteries (9-Volt Golden Power Battery) and handed them over to Sivarasan. It was this battery that was used in the belt bomb that Dhanu used to kill Rajiv Gandhi.
The Supreme Court confirmed TADA court's death sentence for Perarivalan and six others in 1999. However, these sentences were commuted to life imprisonment in 2014, and it was later revealed through the official who took Perarivalan’s confession that the latter did not know why he was buying the two batteries.
Still, family members of those who were killed, such as Abbas, the coordinator of The Forum for Those Who Made Ultimate Sacrifice on 21 May, 1991, are standing resolutely. Abbas has already contacted the Governor's office on Saturday seeking an appointment. Other members of the group also resolutely stand behind him.
"Their punishment was already reduced to life imprisonment from death penalty. If Perarivalan is let out now, it will set a bad precedent for other cases in the country," says Rajkumar, the son of Dharman, a constable who had been present at the venue.
When asked if the 30 years they spent in prison was not punishment enough, he says, "At least their parents and relatives know that they are alive. My family struggled to even survive after my father's death. Nobody came to help us and we live with the pain even today. We are in the process of figuring out a counter if the decision is to release him. We can't let this happen," he adds.
Most of the families allege that even the decision to release Perarivalan is part of a larger political gimmick, that plays out every time an election nears.
"This issue always comes up before an election," says 63-year-old John Joseph, who lost his brother Edward Joseph during the attack. "We have seen this happening for years with no real result. I believe this time too it will play out without any effect. If they allow this man to be released, what is the guarantee that the same thing will not happen in India again? It was a pre-planned murder due to which so many of us suffered. It was a terrorist attack and no one else should suffer like this again," he adds.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee leader and Sivagangai MP Karthi Chidambaram was amongst the very few politicians who actually expressed any sentiment against Perarivalan's release. With the Gandhi family giving the nod and saying they have forgiven the culprits, most Congress leaders have remained silent on the matter.
"Nobody talks about the other Tamilians who died during Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. Gokila, Iqbal, Munusamy and several others died. They have been legally punished and if the law allows them to be released, I have no objection. But they have been convicted as per the law, so don't make them heroes," Karthi Chidambaram had told the media in his constituency.
Abbas points out that over the last three decades, no politician has asked the families of the victims if they require help.
"This entire agitation for Perarivalan's release is political. Someone like Kamal Haasan wants to capture a vote bank. Even the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee remains silent because they want to ally with the DMK for the assembly polls. For 20 seats, they have decided to keep quiet," he alleges. "But we won't remain silent. We have been fighting for decades and are not ready to give up yet," he adds.
But Perarivalan's mother Arputhammal points out that this sense of vengeance will not serve any purpose.
"What’s the use of talking about the past? I am just asking for justice. Please obey the court orders. We have borne the brunt of a deed we never did and we respected the court and languished in prison for 30 years didn’t we? He was 19 when he went into the prison. Today he is 50. You (the government) have ruined his life. You have made him a patient. You have ruined our family. Now we have nothing. Now at least you can respect the court and release him," she appeals.
Several members of the Tamil film industry too have lent their voice in support of Perarivalan.
Actor Vijay Sethupathi had said, "I urge the governor to release Perarivalan as per the order of the Supreme Court. We request the governor to implememt the apex court's order and release Perarivalan."
Film director and Dalit rights activist PA Ranjith had tweeted about the "injustice"in denying him freedom despite the law being on his side.
Perarivalan's case
It was Perarivalan's 'confessional statement' that led Justices KT Thomas, DP Wadhwa and SSM Quadri to conclude that he was aware of the target of the PM attack. However, in 2017, V Thiagarajan, former CBI Officer who was a part of the team that investigated Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination told the court he had omitted a crucial part of Perarivalan’s statement. Thiagarajan had recorded Perarivalan’s confession, and stated in an affidavit that he had failed to record that Perarivalan was unaware of the purpose of the two nine volt batteries he was asked to buy.
Expressing remorse for Perarivalan’s long jail sentence, Thiagarajan also said that he came out with his statement to clear his conscience.
The CBI which investigated Rajiv Gandhi's assassination also said that Perarivalan was an LTTE supporter who even met Velupillai Prabhakaran and was selling LTTE publications in Tamil Nadu. However, Perarivalan's lawyers have consistently pointed out that many people in Tamil Nadu were aligned with the LTTE and especially prior to the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, and there was nothing surprising about it.
Perarivalan was also found to have accompanied LTTE cadres Subha, Dhanu, Nalini and Murugan to Nandanam in Chennai, to recce a programme of former Prime Minister VP Singh, a few days before Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. However, according to his lawyers, since Perarivalan was not aware of who the target was, he was merely accompanying friends.