Political parties in Tamil Nadu clamour for clemency to Rajiv Gandhi's killers

CHENNAI: The political parties in Tamil Nadu have raised the pitch in demanding clemency for three men convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.

The convicts face death penalty on September 9, following the rejection of their clemency appeals to the President. However, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram on Monday said it is not in her powers to reverse the decision after the President has rejected their mercy petitions.

Leading the demand for clemency for Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, who are in the Vellore prison, former chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi said the trio had spent nearly 20 years in prison, which is more than life imprisonment.

The DMK patriarch said if Rajiv Gandhi had been alive, he too would have been in favour of saving their lives. The Congress leadership in the state, however, is of the view that the convicted should not be allowed to go without punishment. State Congress chief KV Thangkabalu said those who opposed the punishment were questioning the supremacy of law in the country.

Opposition leader and DMDK president Vijayakant said the trio should be released on humanitarian grounds, considering that they had spent two decades in prison and the main accused were dead. “Many countries have done away with capital punishment and it is time India also adopted the practice.

There is a lot of public opinion against the hanging of the accused and I am requesting the Centre to grant them clemency,” he said, adding that his party would continue to oppose terrorism. MDMK leader Vaiko, who visited the three in prison, demanded that the chief minister intervene to stop the execution.