Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict AG Perarivalan attacked inside Vellore Prison, probe ordered

AG Perarivalan, one of the convicts in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was attacked by fellow prisoner earlier this morning.

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Vellore: AG Perarivalan, one of the seven convicts in former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case who has been behind bars since the day of his arrest on June 11, 1991, was attacked inside the Vellore Central prison on Tuesday.

According to news agency ANI, 44-year-old Perarivalan was attacked by fellow prisoner Rajesh.

Prison officials have declined to spell out details of the incident, including the reason for the attack, maintaining that an inquiry by prison authorities was on.

Perarivalan is being treated at the prison hospital, police said. Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber at nearby Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991 and seven persons - Murugan, Santhan, Perarivalan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran, were convicted in the case.

Nalini's death sentence was commuted to life in 2000 following a cabinet recommendation and appeal by Rajiv's wife, Sonia Gandhi.

The Supreme Court had commuted the death sentence of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan in February 2014 following delay in deciding on their mercy plea.

The Tamil Nadu government had in March this year decided to remit the sentences of all the seven convicts.

However, the matter soon went to the Supreme Court and is pending there, with the Central government questioning the State's powers to grant remission to them on specific grounds.

The seven convicts are V Sriharan alias Murugan, AG Perarivalan, T. Suthendraraja alias Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini.