Chennai, May 20
The Congress returning to power at the Centre might have upset the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, but it has received kudos from the most unexpected quarters—the family members of the accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.As 13 years had lapsed since the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur, near here, on May 21, 1991, some of the family members of seven of the 26 accused serving detention, have pinned their hopes on the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi for their early release.
The accused serving detention in the Vellore Central prison include Nalini, the prime accused in the case, her husband Sriharan alias Murugan, Perarivalan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Rober Payas and Ravichandran.
While three of them, Sriharan, Perarivalan and Santhan, had been awarded death sentence, others, including Nalini, who was originally awarded death sentence but was later commuted to life, were serving life imprisonment.
For the family members of Nalini and Perarivalan, the Congress coming to power at the Centre has given fresh hope for the early release of their wards.
“We firmly believe that Ms Sonia Gandhi will help us and facilitate the early release of my sister (Nalini) who is very much depressed as she could not meet her daughter for more than a decade,’’ said Mr P S Bhagyanathan, brother of Nalini.
Mr Bhagyanathan, one of the 19 accused acquitted in the case following a Supreme Court order, is presently working as manager in a private firm in the city. He is doing his Post graduation in psychotherapy and counselling in Techrea University in Mumbai. He is aiming for a doctorate in psychotherapy.
“In fact, I and my mother Padma (also an accused in the case who was later acquitted) have voted for the Congress in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections to express our gratitude to Ms Sonia Gandhi,’’ Mr Bhagyanathan said.
A family member of G.Perarivalan, alias Arivu, one of the three accused sentenced to death, when contacted, also expressed optimism about the early release. —
UNI
