NaliniSriharan, one of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination casetried to commit suicide last night. According to independent sources, a quarrelbroke down between Nalini and another inmate from her barracks, serving a lifesentence in the Vellore prison. The inmate later reported the incident to theofficers present who in turn, entered the barracks to investigate the matter.This has said to have "upset" Sriharan and she later decided to takeher life by strangulating herself to death.
Herlawyer P. Pugazhendi, however, refuses to believe this statement released bythe prison authorities and states that such incidents are quite common inprisons and cannot be the reason behind his client deciding to take such adrastic step. Backing these statements he also revealed that he had met hisclient earlier in March this year, right before the nationwide lockdown was putinto effect, and stated that she was in very high spirits and showed no signsof distraught or depression despite being in captivity since the past 29 years.
Shealso gave birth to her daughter in prison and was recently granted a month'sparole to attend her daughter's marriage.
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, byan LTTE suicide bomber during an election rally near Sriperumbudur.
Sriharanwas sentenced to a death penalty but the sentence was later converted to lifeimprisonment by the Tamil Nadu Government.
Earlierin March, the Madras High court had dismissed her plea seeking to be releasedfrom prison because she claimed to being "illegally detained by the policeas her petition was still with the Governor which meant that she has to beproduced before a court and released."
Nalini'shusband now wants her to be transferred to the Puzhal Prison.
Pugazhendialleged that there is something else that the prison authorities seem to behiding for the past 29 years.
TheVellore Prison authorities are yet to release any statement regarding thisincident.