Chennai: Arputhammal, the mother of the Perarivalan, one of the life convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has appealed to the Tamil Nadu government to mercy kill her and her son “to end our tortuous sufferings for 27 long years”. Her tearful plea follows the rejection of the state's plea by President Ram Nath Kovind to order the release of these seven lifers.
“We have been betrayed by both the Centre and the state government after giving us the hopes that finally justice is being done. What's the point continuing with this miserable life-he in jail in all his depression and with so many ailments, and me with my own multiple problems at this age of 71? Let the state government allow the mercy killing of me and my son. Let us go”, Arputhammal told this correspondent over phone from her residence at Jolarpet.
“I have been pleading from the very beginning that my son is innocent of the crime. There was enough to prove his innocence but all that was ignored. And I ran from pillar to post for these past 27 years pleading for justice, for his release, even as the family suffered serious setbacks with my husband falling ill and Arivu (Perarivalan) himself developing several ailments in jail”, she said, breaking down frequently.
Just before the bad news of the Presidential rejection hit her, the tough mother had gone to the Fort St. George, where the Assembly was in session, and made yet another of her million pleadings before the powers-that-be for Arivu's release. “The law minister (C V Shanmugam) told me that the state government would release my son the moment the Presidential assent comes. I was so hopeful”, Arputhammal said.
She said she would reach Chennai on Monday and immediately hand over her 'mercy-kill' petition to the government. “Let them decide fast, at least on this one”, she said, sounding very bitter.
