By P. Vijian
CHENNAI, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomb squad member Nalini Murugan, convicted for her involvement in the high-profile assassination of then-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, began her fast to death at the Vellore Central Prison this morning.
Then a young and pregnant Nalini, a member of the now-defunct LTTE women's wing, was sentenced to death in 1991, when she was found guilty of being part of the suicide bomber squad which blew up Gandhi in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.
Her death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, and for the last 18 years, she has been languishing in the high-security jail in the women's cell.
The 43-year-old's husband is also in the same prison.
"She has begun to fast since this morning, demanding premature release from prison," prison superintendent Jaya Barathi told Bernama on Monday.
In a letter dated Sept 20 addressed to her jailers, Nalini pleaded that 19 of her co-accused in Gandhi's murder were released from prison but she was still behind bars.
"Of the 26 accused, 19 were acquitted but there was no place in the law for my release...how to justify that?
"I will fast to death as there is no other way for me under this circumstances," she said in the letter that was written in Tamil.
LTTE suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam assassinated Gandhi, on May 21, 1991, while he was about to attend a pre-election rally in Sriperumbudur in the southern state.
At least, 20 people were killed in the blast.
Last week, Nalini moved another petition at the Madras High Court for her release.
Under the Indian Criminal Procedure Code, a convict imprisoned for life could seek premature release on the grounds of good conduct, after serving at least 14 years in jail.
Early this month, Nalini managed to obtain her Master's Degree in Computer Application from the Indira Gandhi National Open University, studying from her cell.
CHENNAI, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomb squad member Nalini Murugan, convicted for her involvement in the high-profile assassination of then-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, began her fast to death at the Vellore Central Prison this morning.
Then a young and pregnant Nalini, a member of the now-defunct LTTE women's wing, was sentenced to death in 1991, when she was found guilty of being part of the suicide bomber squad which blew up Gandhi in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.
Her death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, and for the last 18 years, she has been languishing in the high-security jail in the women's cell.
The 43-year-old's husband is also in the same prison.
"She has begun to fast since this morning, demanding premature release from prison," prison superintendent Jaya Barathi told Bernama on Monday.
In a letter dated Sept 20 addressed to her jailers, Nalini pleaded that 19 of her co-accused in Gandhi's murder were released from prison but she was still behind bars.
"Of the 26 accused, 19 were acquitted but there was no place in the law for my release...how to justify that?
"I will fast to death as there is no other way for me under this circumstances," she said in the letter that was written in Tamil.
LTTE suicide bomber Thenmozhi Rajaratnam assassinated Gandhi, on May 21, 1991, while he was about to attend a pre-election rally in Sriperumbudur in the southern state.
At least, 20 people were killed in the blast.
Last week, Nalini moved another petition at the Madras High Court for her release.
Under the Indian Criminal Procedure Code, a convict imprisoned for life could seek premature release on the grounds of good conduct, after serving at least 14 years in jail.
Early this month, Nalini managed to obtain her Master's Degree in Computer Application from the Indira Gandhi National Open University, studying from her cell.
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