How Was Rajiv Gandhi Assassinated? Who Was Behind The Plot And The Reason Behind The Same

Rajiv Gandhi, son of Indira Gandhi and grandson of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, became the seventh Prime Minister of India at the age of 40. While he initially had no interest in joining politics, destiny had some other plans. After his brother, Sanjay Gandhi, died in a plane crash in 1980, and his mom, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in October 1984, he had no option but to join politics and to be the seventh PM of India, and the youngest one to hold the office.

Rajiv Gandhi, who never wanted to join politics, was assassinated almost seven years after taking oath as the seventh Prime Minister of India

However, it was almost seven years after he became the PM of India, when, back in 1991, a suicide bomber assassinated him. Let's dive deep into how it happened and the reason why Rajiv Gandhi was killed. Rajiv Gandhi was born in 1944 to Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi. He pursued a mechanical engineering degree from Imperial College in London, but he couldn't complete the same.

Rajiv Gandhi came back to India and joined a flying club in Delhi. In 1970, he was working as a pilot in Indian Airlines. It was on the day his mother, Indira Gandhi was assassinated, that he took oath as the seventh Prime Minister of India. He was known as the Father of Information and Technology for his contribution to modernising India by promoting technology, computerisation, and telecommunication. However, his assassination back in 1991 remained a shock to the world.

How was Rajiv Gandhi assassinated? A female suicide bomber took his life along with 14 others

It was on May 21, 1991, when Rajiv Gandhi was campaigning in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, for his upcoming election. Many of his followers gathered there, whom he met after his speech and before addressing a rally. It was around this time only that a lady named Dhanu approached Gandhi with a garland in her hand. One of the police officers stopped the lady, but Rajiv Gandhi insisted that they let his followers meet him. He reportedly told the officers, 'relax, don't worry'. A few minutes later, Dhanu bent to touch Rajiv Gandhi's feet, and within the blink of an eye, the bomb blasted, taking their lives, along with 14 others. Dhanu hid the RDX-laden suicide belt bomb inside the garland and activated it while touching Rajiv Gandhi's feet.

What happened to the accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case?

The incident came as a shock to the world. Before Dhanu, a team of nine people came to India to kill Rajiv Gandhi, and two attempts were made before the final attack. Both of the attempts failed. However, five people were present at the place where the incident took place, and two of them died, while the other two fled. Investigators could only capture one of these nine people named, Nalini. Later, the federal government gave the case to CBI's Special Investigation Team. In 1998, 26 people were sentenced to death, and in 1999, 19 people were spared the death sentence and were sentenced to lifelong imprisonment. Only four individuals, including Nalini, her husband Murugan, Santhan, and A.G. Perarivalan were given the death sentence. As per reports, all of the 19 accused were released back in 2022. And it was reportedly due to their good behaviour in prison.

Why was Rajiv Gandhi assassinated?

Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a Sri Lankan militant group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which is now banned in India. During the time, Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister, it was decided that the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) would be sent to Sri Lanka in 1987 to bring peace during the Sri Lankan civil war. However, IPKF and LTTE ended up in a clash. As per reports many of the members of LTTE were killed. Rajiv Gandhi's term as Prime Minister when he lost the general election in 1989. However, the LTTE believed that if he would return to power as the PM, it would be a threat for them as he would continue to act against them. And for the same reason, his assassination was reportedly planned and eventually executed.

What do you think about Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, which still remains traumatising to the Indians?

Also Read: Rajiv Gandhi And Sonia Gandhi's Unheard Love Story Will Reinstate Your Faith In True Love

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