The fact that Murugan, one of the accused in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, has skipped two scheduled meetings with wife Nalini in Vellore Central Prison over the last fortnight has fuelled speculation of a “disagreement” between the couple over her meeting with Priyanka Gandhi.Nalini and Murugan meet each other for about 45 minutes every fortnight on Saturday. They last met on March 22, three days after Priyanka visited Nalini at the jail. However, Nalini’s lawyer Doraisamy, who was instrumental in making the jail meeting public, plays down reports of a rift, saying if there was a quarrel, it was not the first between them since the trial began. “They stop talking for weeks and resume again later on,” Doraisamy was quoted as saying. Prison officials also say there have been times in the past when the two couldn’t meet, often because there were no armed personnel to escort Murugan to the women’s section of the jail.After March 22, Nalini and Murugan were scheduled to meet on April 5. He didn’t turn up that day, or for the April 19 meeting. When Murugan’s family came down to meet Nalini last week, prison officials told them she was indisposed due to stomach pain and could not meet them.The news of the rift also comes amidst reports that the Intelligence Bureau has been tipped off about a threat to Nalini inside the Vellore Central Prison, which also houses other accused in the killing.Murugan’s reported differences with Nalini over her meeting with Priyanka run contrary to the statement by Arputham Kuildasan, mother of Perarivalan, another convict sentenced to death in the case. “My son and Murugan were taken aback when they read newspaper reports about the meeting,” she told reporters after meeting them a few days ago. Murugan was said to have praised Priyanka, saying her initiative to meet Nalini spoke volumes about her nature.
