Kin, friends of 1991 blast victims sore over celebrations on Perarivalan's release

Chennai, May 20 (IANS) Friends and relatives of those killed along with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the May 21, 1991 human bomb blast at Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur are sore over the celebrations being carried out in the state over the release of assassination case convict A.G. Perarivalan.

S. Abbas, son of local Congress leader Samdhani Begum, who was among the dead, said: "Politicians and media are celebrating the release of A.G. Perarivalan who is a convict in the killing of my mother and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbudur. They have forgotten about the victims of that blast and are creating hype and celebrating the release of Perarivalan."

Noting that the government had ignored the sacrifice of 16 victims and had given meagre financial assistance to them, he wondered that while the families of the victims had suffered in silence for the past three decades, who those who were responsible for the murder were hailed.

Police constable J. Dharman was killed in the blast and his son D. Rajkumar, talking to IANS, said: "I am not very much bothered on the release of A.G. Perarivalan but I don't know why the Chief Minister and the media are celebrating his release. We don't know whether we will have access to the Chief Minister like the convict Perarivalan got. How can the Chief Minister welcome the family of a convict involved in the killing of a former Prime Minister."

Another person who does not want to reveal the identity told IANS that the government of Tamil Nadu "is wrong in celebrating the release of a convict who was involved in the murder of my father as well as former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and turned our lives into misery".

"We got a meagre financial assistance and for the past three decades our sufferings have been incomparable but no one cares. They are celebrating the release of Perarivalan, I can't understand the reason."

Anasuya Daisy Earnest, a police officer who lost two fingers in the blast, said: "I lost two fingers in the blast and have sharpenel in my body and my sufferings are unfathomable. The Chief Minister is hugging the convict and offering him tea... will he allow me to meet him. I am a Tamil woman and have provided security to several VIPs but I am ignored and a convict's family is getting a huge treatment. The victims are suffering and the perpetrators are celebrating."

Except the Congress and the BJP, the Dravidian political parties and the left parties are vying with each other to support and celebrate the release of Perarivalan.