Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case Convict, Santhan, Passes Away in Chennai Hospital

T. Suthendraraja, commonly known as Santhan, one of the convicts freed in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has died at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai. The 56-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and was diagnosed with cryptogenic cirrhosis, an ailment unrelated to alcohol consumption affecting liver functioning.

Last week, the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) issued an emergency travel document for Santhan, facilitating his prompt repatriation to Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan national was held in a special camp at the Tiruchy central prison and was scheduled to be deported.

According to reports, Santhan was admitted to the hospital in early February after the FRRO order for his deportation within two days. His request for repatriation was granted by the FRRO following a temporary travel document issued by the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission.

Santhan was among the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case whose death sentences were affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1999. The court reduced the death sentences of three others to life imprisonment. However, in November 2022, Santhan was released by the Supreme Court.

Described as a member of the LTTE’s intelligence wing, Santhan faced charges for his involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi. He arrived in Tamil Nadu in April 1991 and was recommended by the LTTE mastermind Sivarasan to pursue studies in Madras. Santhan’s death comes as a chapter in the complex and controversial history of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, which involved the LTTE, a designated terrorist organization.