Santhan alias T. Suthendiraraja, one of the seven convicts in the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, died at a Chennai hospital after prolonged illness.
Santhan, 55, was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGH) on January 27 after he fell seriously ill. He was diagnosed with liver failure and cryptogenic cirrhosis. Though his health condition was improving, he had a cardiac arrest in the early hours on Wednesday and breathed his last.
Sources said Santhan, a Sri Lankan national, was keen on getting out of the Trichy special camp and return to his home country for medical treatment. A few days ago, his brother Mathi Suthakaran visited him at the hospital and Santhan is learnt to have told him that he would definitely come home to meet their aging mother Thillaiyampalam Maheshwari.
Santhan served over 25 years in jail and later moved to the Trichy special camp after he was released by the court. He was all set to be deported to Sri Lanka after Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Chennai issued the exit permit order last week.
The FRRO of the Union Ministry of External Affairs had issued an emergency travel document for Santhan, facilitating his immediate deportation. Earlier, the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai had also issued a temporary travel document to him. The state government officials earlier said that he would be deported to Sri Lanka and all travel arrangements would be made once he booked his flight ticket.
On May 21, 1991 former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the LTTE activists during a public meeting at Sriperumbudur near Chennai. The CBI, which investigated the case, arrested a total of 41 people.
A TADA court sentenced 26 of the accused to death in 198. Later, 19 of them were released and the court upheld the death penalty to seven convicts including Santhan.
Santhan was later released by the court citing long incarceration in 2022 and was moved to the Trichy Special camp as he was a Sri Lankan national.