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How Did Rajiv Gandhi Die?

© AFP 2023 RAVI RAVEENDRANIndian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (R) holds the newly released postal stamp of the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources to mark former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's 60th birth anniversary as UPA chairperson, Congress President and Rajiv's widow Sonia Gandhi (L) looks on during a function in New Delhi, 20 August 2004.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (R) holds the newly released  postal stamp of the Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources to mark former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's 60th birth anniversary as UPA chairperson, Congress President and Rajiv's widow Sonia Gandhi (L) looks on during a function in New Delhi, 20 August 2004. - Sputnik India, 1920, 07.11.2023
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Rajiv Gandhi, the seventh prime minister of India, was sworn in on 31 October 1984. He was 40, and remained in office for 1,858 days, until 2 December 1989.
<On 21 May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi, a former Indian prime minister, had an eagerly awaited engagement in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur as he prepared to address a public rally in the lead-up to the election.
The son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and heir of the Gandhi-Nehru scion, Rajiv Gandhi had quite a large following in the southern state. Little did he know that it would be his last public address.

Father of Information Technology of India

Ex-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is today known as the father of information technology of India. He introduced telecommunications technology PCO (Public Call Office) booths in rural parts of the country.
Gandhi pioneered the introduction of computers within the railway department, fostering the remarkable growth of science and technology industries in India through the reduction of import quotas, taxes, and tariffs on these very industries.

How Was Gandhi Killed?

The youngest prime minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam* (LTTE), an armed Tamil militant group based in Sri Lanka on 21 May 1991.
On 21 May evening, Gandhi was meeting his followers before addressing a rally, when a lady named Dhanu, carrying a garland, approached Rajiv Gandhi.
Although she was stopped by a female police officer, the Gandhi insisted on letting his followers meet him. He asked the official: "Relax, don't worry".
A few minutes later, Gandhi, along with the woman who carried the garland, and 14 others, died on that spot. It was 10:10 pm at that time.

Dhanu, a suicide bomber, hid an RDX-laden suicide belt bomb inside the garland, which she activated while touching Gandhi's feet before garlanding him.

Reportedly, the nine-member team that arrived in India to assassinate Gandhi had carried out two dry runs during public meetings before targeting Gandhi, the Congress politician and former prime minister of the country.
Of this team, five were present at the scene, two were killed in the bombing, and the other three fled the site. Only one member, Nalini, was caught alive by investigators.

Why Was Rajiv Gandhi Assassinated?

LTTE members, also known as the Tamil Tigers, waged a civil war against Sri Lankan government in the 1980s. In 1987, the then Indian prime minister Gandhi signed the Indo-Sri Lanka peace accord and said that India would deploy its Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka.
According to Gateway House, the initial purpose of sending Indian troops was to assist the authorities in Sri Lanka. But, over the time, their mission underwent a transformation, turning into a full-fledged battle against LTTE guerrillas in the jungles.
The Indian troops, however, were called back after Gandhi lost the election in 1989.
Till then, the LTTE chief V. Prabhakaran not only developed personal grudges against Gandhi for sending troops but he also feared that Gandhi might re-induct the force in the region if re-elected.
Apparently, the LTTE planned to kill Gandhi soon after the National Front government in New Delhi in 1990 fallen.
Gandhi's mother Indira Gandhi was also assassinated by her two bodyguards in 1984.

Convicts of Rajiv Gandhi Assassination

The federal government handed over the investigation of Gandhi's assassination to a federal probe agency CBI's Special Investigation Team (CBI).
In 1998, the 26 accused in the case were sentenced to death by a special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court.
However, a year later, the Supreme Court of India acquitted 19 of the 26 convicts, commuting three convicts' death sentences to life imprisonments. The death sentences of only four — Nalini, her husband Murugan, Santhan, and A.G. Perarivalan -- were upheld.
In May 2022, the Supreme Court released all convicts based on the prisoners' "good behaviour".
* banned in India
Reflection of South block building is seen in a fountain as Indian army soldiers take a break during the rehearsals for the upcoming Republic Day parade at the Raisina hills, the government seat of power, in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. - Sputnik India, 1920, 14.10.2023
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