AIADMK general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami has held the DMK regime responsible for the death of Santhan, alias T. Suthenthirarajah, a released convict in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, early this week at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai.
Santhan was one of six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, who had served more than three decades in prison, and was released by the Supreme Court in November 2022.
In a statement issued on March 2, 2024, Mr Palaniswami said that as the State government did not “obtain the necessary clearances” from the Union government, Santhan, a Sri Lankan Tamil, could not be with his family in the neighbouring country during his last days. He demanded that the government taken responsibility for the death of the released convict.
The AIADMK leader said that at least in respect of the other three Sri Lankan Tamils, the External Affairs Ministry and the State government should take steps to release them from the special camp at Tiruchi where they have been lodged, and send them to the countries of their choice.
Ex-convict Sriharan alias Murugan’s request to process his passport is pending, while two other released convicts, B. Robert Payas and S. Jeyakumar have sought to live with their families in Netherlands and Chennai respectively.
Meanwhile, referring to recent operations by the authorities against the illegal movement of drugs, the AIADMK’s former coordinator, O. Panneerselvam urged Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to take immediate efforts for a thorough probe into the matter.
AMMK general secretary, T.T.V. Dhinakaran, in a statement, referred to reports of people in a locality of Vellore district experiencing hardships due tothe location of six retail liquor shops. He said the government should enumerate such shops and close them down for the benefit of students and young people.
