India marks solemn National Anti-Terrorism Day today
May 21 marks a solemn chapter in Indian political history as the nation observes National Anti-Terrorism Day to honor former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who lost his life on this date during a brutal election campaign attack. The tragedy shifted the trajectory of modern governance and led to long-standing shifts in South Asian security policies.
Friction escalated between New Delhi and regional militant factions after India deployed the Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka in 1987 under a bilateral accord. Armed clashes followed, causing deep hostility among the separatist leadership. Fearing that a return of the former leader to power would signal renewed military intervention, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam chief Velupillai Prabhakaran ordered a fatal strike during a 1991 rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
Execution of the plot relied on a specialised explosive device hidden under clothing. An operative named Dhanu approached the political leader under the guise of paying respect, presenting a garland before triggering an RDX-laden belt. The explosion killed the former leader and 14 others instantly. Investigators cracked the complex network using a camera belonging to a local photographer who perished in the blast, as the surviving film revealed the identities of the conspiracy cell members.
Justice systems worked for decades to parse the network. The Central Bureau of Investigation established a specialised team to track down handlers, leading to cornered operatives taking their own lives in Bengaluru. While a court originally issued multiple death sentences, top legal bodies commuted these rulings over subsequent decades. In late 2022, the Supreme Court directed the release of remaining individuals on account of good behavior after three decades of detention, leading to notable personal shifts such as former convict A.G. Perarivalan retraining to practice law at the Madras High Court. India posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna upon the fallen leader, dedicating the Vir Bhumi memorial site in New Delhi to his memory.
