Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict Santhan, freed in 2022, dies in India's Chennai
File image of India's former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Santhan, who was convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, and released by the Supreme Court in 2022, died at a hospital in the Indian city of Chennai after suffering a cardiac arrest.
In January, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai for liver failure and was later diagnosed with cryptogenic cirrhosis, according to Indian media reports.
Cryptogenic cirrhosis is a condition which is not related to alcohol consumption but affects the functioning of the liver.
The Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO), under the Union Ministry of External Affairs, last week provided an emergency travel document for a 56-year-old convict which enabled his prompt repatriation to Sri Lanka.
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Speaking to the media, Santhan's counsel advocate Pugazhendhi said, “His brother was there at the hospital when he passed away. His body will be taken to his house in Sri Lanka for final rites. Arrangements are being made.”
Santhan was to be deported by officials
Santhan, who was kept in a special camp at the Tiruchy central prison, was set to go to the international airport for deportation, along with the officials.
After the request to return home was made by Santhan, the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissionissued a temporary travel document, and then an exit permit was granted by the FRRO for his departure.
After the order was issued by FRRO on February 23, the officials were to deport Santhan in two days. However, in early February, Santhan was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, as per media reports.
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Out of the 26 accused arrested in Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case, 9 were acquitted by the Supreme Court in May 1999, while death penalties were affirmed for Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, and Nalini, and the death sentences of Payas, Ravichandran, and Jayakumar were reduced to life imprisonment.
After the assassination of India's former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, all seven individuals were apprehended by the police. The assassination was carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
In November 2022, Santhan was released by the Supreme Court. As per the CBI, he arrived in Tamil Nadu in April 1991 and was a member of the LTTE's intelligence wing.
(With inputs from agencies)