NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Is the embarrassment for Southern politicians over with Justice M C Jain’s interim report? Far from it, say highly placed official sources who have access to the “evidence” the Jain Commission is said to have gathered on the larger conspiracy behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
The Jain Commission is believed to have with it evidence to suggest links with the conspiracy of at least one Member of Parliament belonging to the Tamil Maanila Congress (who was in the Congress(I) at the time of the assassination); one former Congress MP and eight or nine cadre members of the Dravida Kazhagam (DK which later splintered to form the DMK) with members of the LTTE’s suicide squad or their close associates.
Since none of these individuals has been charge-sheeted by the Special Investigating Team (SIT), sources say, the possibility of a second charge-sheet in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case cannot be ruled out.
This had been done with a second line of conspirators even in the Indira Gandhi assassination case.
The Jain Commission, sources say, has evidence to indicate that the MP had links with Mirasudar Shanmugam, the LTTE operative who was a key witness in the case but escaped from SIT custody and later hanged himself.
Intelligence reports submitted to the Commission point towards an intimate relationship between the MP, Shanmugam as well as some other LTTE operatives. The Jain Commission has information that the MP allegedly allowed the LTTE to instal a wireless set in his house in Tanjore.
As far as the former Congress MP is concerned, sources say the Commission has reports that suggest his family owned the house in Bangalore in which Shubha and Sivarasan had taken shelter and committed suicide days after the assassination.
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But there is nothing to directly link him with the suicide squad.One area in which the Jain Commission, sources say, has “substantial evidence” is the fact that the LTTE squad which landed in Tamil Nadu – at least three months prior to the assassination – and the killer squad which arrived there three weeks prior to the strike was actively aided by DK cadres who have been identified by the Jain Commission.
Eight or nine cadre members of the DK are said to have had prior knowledge of the plot hatched by the LTTE to kill Rajiv.
Inputs provided to Justice M C Jain by the state and national intelligence agencies reveal that local politicians, a majority of them belonging to the DK had allegedly provided most of the physical and logistical support to the LTTE operatives in Tamil Naidu and Karnataka.
Sources reveal that the “nexus” between the LTTE and the local leaders was quite deep-rooted and that the DK cadres had made all arrangements of transportation, accommodation and telecommunications for the LTTE. Vehicles had been arranged for the suicide squad, safe-houses fitted with wireless equipment and finances provided by them.
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Even the locals who were to accompany the assassins as they came face-to face with Rajiv Gandhi during the Sriperumbudur election meeting, and Haribabu, the photographer who was killed in the blast, were chosen by these local chauvinistic “supporters”, a majority of whom belonged to the DK.At least two months prior to the assassination, the LTTE is said to have issued instructions to its cadres ensconced in safe-houses to evacuate the 100-odd injured LTTE operatives who were being given medical aid in Tamil Nadu since something “big” was about to happen.
The DK leaders are also believed to have helped in the evacuation operations as in the subsequent escape of the LTTE’s suicide squad after the May 21, 1991 assassination. Such local politicians, in Justice M C Jain’s scheme of things, should also be made co-conspirators in the assassination case.
