Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India, occurred as a result of a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, India on 21 May 1991. At least 14 others, in addition to Gandhi and the assassin, were killed. It was carried out by 22-year-old Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu), a member of the banned Sri Lankan Tamil separatist rebel organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). At the time, India had just ended its involvement, through the Indian Peace Keeping Force, in the Sri Lankan Civil War.
| Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi | |
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Seven pillars surround the site of the blast, at the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial in Sriperumbudur | |
| Location | Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Coordinates | 12.9602°N 79.9454°E |
| Date | 21 May 1991 10:10 pm (IST) |
| Target | Rajiv Gandhi |
Attack type | Suicide bombing |
| Weapons | RDX explosive-laden belt |
| Deaths | 16 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 43 |
| Victims | Rajiv Gandhi and at least 57 others |
| Perpetrator | Kalaivani Rajaratnam (popularly known by her assumed names Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and Dhanu) |
| Accused | Kalaivani Rajaratnam (akas: Thenmozhi Rajaratnam and "Dhanu") |
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Prime Minister of India (1984–1989)
Premiership
National policy
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Subsequent accusations of conspiracy have been addressed by two commissions of inquiry and have brought down at least one national government, the government of Inder Kumar Gujral.