'Arputham' Ammal — Perarivalan's Mother Who Fought For 3 Decades To Get Him Released

In Tamil, Aruptham means miracle and Perarivalan along with many others sees the septuagenarian mother as the miraculous force behind the release.

Chennai: After the Supreme Court ordered the release of AG Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, on Wednesday, he expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped him in his fight. While he thanked his lawyers and the SC judges, among others, he also made a special mention of his mother, Arputham Ammal.

In Tamil, Aruptham means miracle. Perarivalan and many others sees the septuagenarian mother as the miraculous force behind the 31-year-long wait for his freedom. From flying from one place to other to meet political leaders to conducting social media trends, she did everything she could to see her son a free man.

On Wednesday, after the SC judgment came out, Perarivalan said it was his mother's fight that made it possible for him to see the world outside jail. He, however, also said how he had been feeling guilty all these years for the tough life his mother had to live.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said Arputham Ammal was an example of motherhood since she has shown how far a mother can go for her children.

In the past three decades, she has met leaders including former TN chief ministers Jayalalithaa, Edappadi Palaniswami, and Stalin, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan and also Union minister Amit Shah.

On many occasions, she ran social media campaigns urging Perarivalan's release. Along with her, several leaders including VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan had requested the President to intervene. From #ReleasePerarivalan to #StandWithArputhamAmmal, there were many social media trends that helped create a buzz around her fight. 

Her Twitter handle says: "I am the mother of an innocent boy, plucked away from me 28 years back. He was 19-years then. I started running behind him, and am still running!"

She had first knocked on the doors of the court 20 years ago. A few years back, she fought for her son's bail on health grounds. She had requested the jail authorities to provide care to Perarivalan who suffers from various ailments including rheumatic arthritis and hypertension, besides urological and orthopedic ailments, according to reports.