Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was released from jail on Saturday after 32 years.
After over three decades, Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was released from a Tamil Nadu jail on Saturday evening. India Today caught up with Nalini after her release from the special prison for women in Vellore.
On Friday, the Supreme Court ordered the release of six convicts serving life sentences in the assassination case of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Asked whether she would meet Sonia Gandhi, the former Congress president and wife of the late Rajiv Gandhi, Nalini said, “Oh god, please no.”
It must be noted it was Sonia Gandhi who had pardoned Nalini and even filed a clemency petition in the year 2000 that led to the reduction of her sentence.
Immediately after her release from the prison, Nalini went to the Vellore central prison, from where her husband V Sriharan alias Murugan was released.
“After 32 years, even now I am not happy about the release. My husband was sent to jail when he was 20 and after 32 years, he has stepped foot outside only now,” she said.
Murugan, who is a Sri Lankan national, was taken to a special refugee camp in Tiruchirappalli after his release, along with convicts in the case who are Lankans.
Upon this, Nalini said she was sad that her husband had been taken to the special camp. “I pray that he be united with my daughter in the UK,” she said.
Nalini thanked former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha and current CM MK Stalin for helping her during her ordeal in jail. “I am thankful to Madam Jayalalithaa. She started this first and I am thankful to Edappadi K Palaniswamias as well. I am thankful to DMK and Stalin as well. They helped us with parole and that is why we could take this case forward,” she said.
On people opposing her release, Nalini said, “Different people have different stands. I can’t say what they say is wrong.”
( curtesy India today)
