Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Convict Nalini 'Threatens Suicide' After Quarrel With Inmate At Vellore Prison

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres in a suicide bombing attack on May 21, 1991.

Nalini's lawyer claimed that the jail officials had tortured her. (File Photo/ ANI)

New Delhi: Nalini Sriharan, serving life tern in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, threatened to end her life following a heated argument with another inmate in the Vellore Women's Prison on Monday night. According to the reports, Nalini was taking help from another inmate at the prison for the daily chores, unduly burdening the latter. Thus invited a quarrel between the two following which a complaint was noted down.  Intervening in the matter, officials decided to shift the complainant to another cell. At this, Nalini threatened to kill herself. However, Nalini's lawyer P Pugalenthi was quoted by news agency ANI as saying that the jail officials had tortured her. "At 8:30 pm, the jailer went to Nalini's cell and inquired about the complaint. During the inquiry, a quarrel took place between the jailer and Nalini. She got upset and attempted to commit suicide. She has served the last 30 years in prison and never attempted to take such steps. I think the jail officials had tortured her," Pugalenthi told ANI. The lawyer has reportedly called for probe into the matter and even appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to arrange Nalini's transfer to another prison. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres in a suicide bombing attack on May 21, 1991, during a public meeting while campaigning in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur for a Lok Sabha Congress candidate. Seven persons were convicted in the killing of Rajiv Gandhi - AG Perarivalan, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran, V Sriharan alias Murugan, and  his wife Nalini Sriharan. The Tamil Nadu government has passed a resolution for the release of all the convicts, but the Governor is yet to take a decision on the matter.