Rajiv Gandhi Murder Convict Perarivalan Attacked in Vellore Jail

44-year-old Perarivalan sustained a scalp injury after he was allegedly attacked by a small rusted iron piece.

Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict AG Perarivalan attacked inside Vellore prison. (Photo: Altered by The Quint)

One of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, AG Perarivalan (alias Arivu), was attacked inside the high-security central prison in Vellore on Tuesday by another life convict, Rajesh Khanna.

Officials refused to spell out details of the incident, including the reason for the attack, maintaining that an inquiry by prison authorities was on.

Attacked allegedly by a small rusted iron piece, 44-year-old Perarivalan sustained a scalp injury and is being treated at the prison hospital.

Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber at nearby Sriperumbudur on 21 May 1991 and seven persons – Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran – were convicted in the case. While Nalini’s death sentence was commuted to life in 2000, the Supreme Court had commuted the death sentence of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan in February 2014 following delay in deciding on their mercy plea.

The Tamil Nadu government had in March this year decided to remit the sentences of all the seven convicts. However, the matter soon went to the Supreme Court. The case is pending in the SC with the Central government questioning the State’s powers to grant remission to them on specific grounds.

(With inputs from PTI and Hindu)