News

Convict acquitted in Rajiv assassination case dies before returning to Sri Lanka

28 Feb, 2024

Feature Image

Santhan, a Sri Lankan convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, succumbed to his illness at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai. Aged around 55, he was suffering from cryptogenic cirrhosis, a liver disease.?

He was admitted to the hospital in January due to liver failure and experienced a cardiac arrest early Wednesday. Though initially revived, he could not survive and passed away at 7:30 am. Santhan was one of the seven life convicts in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

His death sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. After spending more than 32 years in jail, he was released in November 2022. Post-release, the convicts, being Sri Lankan nationals without passports or travel documents, were housed in a special camp on the Trichy central jail campus.

Unlike his fellow convicts who sought asylum abroad, Santhan had approached the Madras High Court seeking help to travel back to Sri Lanka to meet his aging mother. (India Today)

Recommended For You

Feature Image

Indian Housing Project extended to Madakumbura and Vellaioya

The Indian Housing Project has been extended to the Madakumbura and Vellaioya Estates, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said today. The foundation stone was laid for the construction of 250 new houses under the Indian Housing Project at the Madakumbura Estate in Punduloya, Nuwara Eliya yesterday. Minister for Hill country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development Palani Digambaram, State Minister for Education V.S. Radhakrishnan and Acting High Commissioner of India Arindam B

05 Jun, 2018

Feature Image

Six Sri Lankans involved in human smuggling arrested in Sicily

Six Sri Lankans who are involved in human smuggling operations have been arrested in Sicily. The Italian media reported that the six Sri Lankans were arrested today following investigations conducted by the authorities. The arrest was made after two Sri Lankans were arrested with false documents in?Sicily. Following investigations conducted by the Police, six other Sri Lankans were arrested after it was revealed that they were part of a human smuggling operation. The six Sri Lankans were fou

04 Jun, 2018

Feature Image

Sri Lanka formally becomes state party to mine ban convention

After having acceded six months ago, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention has come into effect for Sri Lanka as of 1 June 2018. As of this date and in accordance with treaty provisions, Sri Lanka undertakes to ?never, under any circumstances, use, produce or transfer anti-personnel mines.? In addition, Sri Lanka has undertaken to destroy its stockpiled mines within the next four years, remove anti-personnel mines from affected areas within the next ten, and committed to assist victims and sur

04 Jun, 2018