Chennai: It was an emotional moment for S. Nalini, one of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts, who was on a 12-hour parole. She attended her father’s funeral in Chennai on Wednesday.
Police sources said Nalini left Vellore Central Prison (women’s jail) under police escort by 6.50 am. It is after 12e years that she came of out jail. In 2004, she was let out on parole to attend her brother’s wedding.
“All seven accused in the Rajiv killing case, including my husband, have been in jail for the past 25 years and we are innocent. We do not know how Rajiv Gandhi looked like and my daughter who is now 24 years old is alone without parents. Our only last hope is Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa”, Nalini told reporters after paying homage to her father.
Security had been beefed up since Tuesday night for the funeral of 91-year-old Sankaranarayanan who passed away after a heart attack. Leaders of the People’s Welfare Front, including Thol. Thirumavalavan, paid homage to Sankaranarayanan, who was a former police inspector. MDMK general secretary Vaiko, who was campaigning in Tiruchy, condoled the death through a message and sent his representatives for the funeral.
Thirumavalavan, who met Nalini, appealed to Jayalalithaa to facilitate release of the convict under Article 161 of the Constitution. “No woman prisoner has spent 25 years in jail as Nalini has.
Even today, she has been instructed by police not to interact with anyone during the funeral. She was not granted parole when her father was alive,” he said, recalling the case of Hindi film actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted for illegal possession of arms in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, who was granted parole multiple times.
Tamil Nationalist Movement president Pazha Nedumaran, Manithaneya Makkal Katchi leader M.H. Jawahirullah and Naam Tamizhar leader Seeman also consoled Nalini.
