Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
| Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi | |
|---|---|
| Part of the spillover of the Sri Lankan civil war | |
Seven pillars surround the site of the blast, at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial in Sriperumbudur | |
| Location | Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Coordinates | 12°57′37″N 79°56′43″E / 12.9602°N 79.9454°E |
| Date | 21 May 1991 10:10 pm (IST) |
| Target | Rajiv Gandhi |
Attack type | Suicide bombing |
| Weapons | RDX explosive-laden belt |
| Deaths | 16 (including Rajiv Gandhi and the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 43 |
| Victims | At least 57 others |
| Perpetrator | Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu) |
| Accused | Kalaivani Rajaratnam |
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
(1984–1989) Legislations
Treaties and accords
Missions and agencies
Controversies
Wars and attacks
|
||
| Gallery: Picture, Sound, Video | ||
.jpg){kind=link}
The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former prime minister of India, occurred as a result of a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, India on 21 May 1991. At least 14 others, in addition to Gandhi and the assassin, were killed. It was carried out by 22-year-old Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu), a member of the banned Sri Lankan Tamil separatist rebel organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). At the time, India had just ended its involvement, through the Indian Peace Keeping Force, in the Sri Lankan Civil War.
Subsequent accusations of conspiracy have been addressed by two commissions of inquiry and have brought down at least one national government, the government of Inder Kumar Gujral.