Arivu opens can of worms in Rajiv case

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Chennai: In a fresh petition against his death sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, A.G. Perarivalan alias Arivu on Friday told the special designated TADA court here that he was a victim of flawed investigation by the CBI. He averred that the investigation agency had ignored vital leads pointing to possible involvement of high profile officials and politicians in the gruesome murder in May 1991.
Arivu wanted the court to undertake “effective monitoring” of the CBI's Multi-disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), constituted 15 years ago for unearthing the larger conspiracy in Rajiv’s murder and unearth the real conspirators. MDMA, he said, was limping around aimlessly and did not seem interested in getting near the truth despite taking such a long time while he suffered terrible trauma on death row.
He recalled that he was arrested when barely 19 and condemned to the gallows on a charge of conspiracy and for procuring a nine-volt battery. CBI’s special investigation team (SIT) insisted that the battery was used in the belt-bomb of the LTTE woman assassin, Arivu argued that the conspiracy charge would not stick as his mere procuring of a battery would not mean that he took part in the entire planning and execution of the murder.
Also, the media in May 1996 had mentioned a note from then CBI additional director Datta that SIT should have investigated the role of a bomb expert from Germany, Ilayat­hambi Kirubalan, who had been in Chennai during March 6-April 22, 1991. This note was not taken into record either by SIT or MMDA though it was “very crucial information” and would nullify the charge that Arivu's battery was used in the bomb a month later.
If only the MMDA performed its task correctly, the larger conspiracy in the Rajiv assassination would have been unea­rthed and “hidden truths and unnamed accused” brought to book, Arivu said in his petition.
His allegations relate to Chandraswamy, Dr Subra­m­aniam Swamy and Adn­an Kashogi — none of whom were probed by SIT/MMDA. If the court undertakes the monitoring of MMDA work now, it would render justice not only to him but also to the nation as a former Prime Minister “was liquidated by a criminal conspiracy which involved several unnamed higher officers and high profile politicians,” he said.
Judge N. Dhandapani po­sted the case to September 19 for further hearing.