STORY OF ASSASINATION OF RAJIV GANDHI
This chapter deals with the
unhappenings which lead to the assassination of India’s youngest Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi. It was 21st May 1991, when Rajiv Gandhi was supposed
to address a rally at Sriperembandur in Chennai. Before his arrival at the
rally place, his murdered has already been arrived long before. Before Rajiv Gandhi to address the gatherings
at the rally, he was killed on his way to the stage. After that shocking event,
it was coming to the public sphere that Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide
bomber and her name is Dhanu. While Rajiv Gandhi came towards the people, who
were waiting for his arrival at the rally, during that time Dhanu went towards
Rajiv Gandhi as if she is going to touch the feet of Rajiv Gandhi. But while
she bends herself to touch the feet of Rajiv Gandhi, a huge and devastative
bomb blasted and after that everything were scattered and a dead body was found
out many at that place and it was the dead body of Rajiv Gandhi. after that
incident it was found out that Dhanu was associated with LTTE. Who were the
people of associated with LTTE and what was their relation with India? And most
importantly why they killed Rajiv Gandhi? it was 29th July 1987 and
Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister of India during that point of time. He went
to Srilanka to sign the peace accord between India and Srilanka. During that
time JR Jaywardhene was the president of Srilanka. Both head of the states
passed a treaty between India and Srilanka. During that period in Srilanka,
when the civil war was going on, there were a very few people of Srilanka who
were against of the treaty between India and Srilanka. It was the period when
the clash was on between the Singhali and the Hindu Tamil people. According to
the treaty Srilanka government agreed to give more right to the Hindu Tamil
people but in lieu of that India had to take action against the Tamilian who
are taking help of weapon and promoting civil war in Srilanka. The most active
group which was challenging the military power of Srilanka was Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelamm (LTTE). This group was demanding a separate state from
Srilanka. B Pravakaran was the head and chief of LTTE. India did that treaty
with Srilanka for sake of Tamil people in Srilanka. When the treaty was signed
by both India and Srilanka during that time Pravakarn was not present in
Colombo, he was present in Ashoka hotel at Delhi. He was watching the telecast
of the when the treaty was signed by both the country. Five days before to the treaty
Pravakaran came to India and he address a group of journalist and where he
pointed that there is no other way out except the freeing the Tamil states in
Srilanka. Indian officials tried their best to convince Pravakaran over the
dilemma of Srilanka, but he was not in a state to compromise with Eelamm. So
finally, on 28th July he was called by the Indian prime minister of
that time Rajiv Gandhi to find a way out of the issues. But it is strange that
when Pravakaran was the same person who was the mastermind behind killing Rajiv
Gandhi. The supporters of LTTE claimed that Pravakaran was in interest of
talking to Rajiv Gandhi over the issue Eelamm. But the very next day Rajiv
Gandhi went to Colombo pass the treaty between India and Srilanka. With that
treaty India directly entered into the internal issue of Srilanka which was
going on since last ten to fifteen years. It was long back story when Srilanka
got independent in 1948 just after one year of India’s independence. During
that time Srilanka was known as Silon. Prior to that for the garden work India
Tamil speaking Hindu people were taken from India to work there in Srilanka.
But the Singali administration of Srilanka was boycotting the Tamil speaking
people from every social rights and benefits for which the Tamilian’s were
thinking as if they are the second class people of the state. During that time
it happens to be 23% out of total population of Srilanka who were Tamil. After
few days also the Singhali government also boycotted the Tamilian’s from giving
their vote as well. After that move of the local administration, the Tamilian’s
became stateless and they had no more nations to be known for. In 1956 the
Srilanka government declared Singhali as the only official language in the
state. So it was almost impossible for the Tamil speaking people to enter into
any government job. Then in 1972 new turnaround came in the Srilanka state that
in this year the new constitution was supposed to be implemented. According to
the name Silon replaced by Srilanka and the Baudh announced as the primary
religion of Srilanka. But nothing changed for the Tamilian’s. When the
government of Srilanka didn’t look after the problems and issues of Tamilian’s,
then they took the help of weapon and violence and V Pravakaran was part of
that. And on 5th May 1976 V Pravakaran formed the LTTE. Within few
year LTTE became as one of the strongest and disciplined group in Srilanka
against the administration. During that period Indian government was giving
training to the Tamilian’s. Then on 23rd July 1983 Tamilian’s killed
13 army staffs of Srilanka and then the Tamil riot movement raised throughout
the country and it is popularly known as Black July. And it resulted in the
civil war throughout Srilanka and for which Tamil people came to India as
refugees to take shelter in Tamilinadu. The number was in thousand and from
that situation a separate Tamil state was demanded. The situation of Srilanka
was directly impacting the Indian political sphere. So Indian government was
trying to convince the Tamil association and the government of Srilanka to find
a way out of these issues. By 1987 India was thinking about to take a big step
in Srilanka itself to stop all the riots. On the other side the Srilankan army
has already started an operation to get over the LTTE. Then Indian Air Force
started the operation by dropping the reliefs in Jaffna. Then on the day of the
treaty among India and Srilanka, prime minister Rajiv Gandhi decided that to
send the Indian army troops to Srilanka to control the situation. The Indian
troops which were sent to Srilanka it was known as Indian Peace Keeping Force
(IPKF). The task which was given to the IPKF that to divide the LTTE and
Srilankan armed forces and then to make surrender of LTTE to calm down the
ongoing destruction. Then IPKF talked to the chief of LTTE Pravakaran and
convinced him to surrender. After that discussion Pravakaran given a written
document that hiss team will be surrendering before the Indian army. When IPKF
arrived in Srilanka , it was not only the LTTE who were active against the
Srilanka government but also few other associations were also active. After few days of surrendering LTTE claimed
before the IPKF that RAW of India is giving weapons to the other association
and by that means LTTE stopped surrendering. They again started destruction
with the help of other countries. Then a meeting of all the Indian
agencies with Pravakaran was held and
which was successful as well. But meantime 17 LTTE commander were killed and
LTTE went in against of India. After that event LTTE became out of control from
Indian army. Then LTTE started fighting against Indian army. Then LTTE became
an enemy for India itself. Then army chief on 8th October gave the
order to attack on LTTE. Almost all the political party in Indian were against
of this move of Rajiv Gandhi government. Agitation was started to begin from
Tamilnadu and agitators were demanding to back IPKF from Srilanka. IPKF was in
Srilanka to help Srilankan government but Srilankan army merged with LTTE. Then
in 1988 election of Srilanka and on 2nd January 1989 R Premdas
became the next president of Srilanka. His government compromised with the LTTE
and merged with theme. At that time also VP Singh became the next prime
minister after the defeat of Rajiv Gandhi led congress party in the general
election. Then VP Singh called up the IPKF from Srilanka to India. Almost 1248
Indian soldiers were martyred in Srilanka.
In 1991 election was there in India and LTTE was having the fear that if
Rajiv Gandhi will became the next prime minister then again Indian army will
attack on LTTE and for which Rajiv
Gandhi became the centre of target for LTTE. After the assassination of Rajiv
Gandhi, India lost a leader and it’s youngest prime minister ever. That was not
the end of LTTE, the end of LTTE came after 18 years of assassination of Rajiv
Gandhi, when Srilankan army killed Pravakaran. Even today also Tamil people in
Srilanka re facing problems and their human rights are being violated as well.
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