Should These Men Die?
More than 20 years after the gruesome assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, people charged in the conspiracy are awaiting their death.
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Vellore Central Jail, 3 hours west of Chennai, where Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan (Arivu) convicted in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, are inmates.
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Arivu was 19 when he was arrested and has spent his adult life behind bars.
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The story Murugan and Nalini (another accused) is being valorized by a Tamil weekly, Junior Vikatan, as a thrilling romance of a LTTE operative with an Indian girl.
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Santhan, accused number A-2, had been earlier involved in the killing of EPRLF leaders.
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Families of prisoners gather outside the permission shed of Vellore Jail; several are visitors to meet the 3 Rajiv assassination accused.
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Inside the dingy shed, the wait for permission can be long.
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Arputham Ammal, Arivu's 65 year old mother, has been making this trip to Vellore daily for the past 15 years.
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K Raghothaman, Chief Investigating Officer of the SIT rubbishes claims that the 3 were errand boys. He says the investigation confirmed their participation as well as knowledge.
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A location in a Chennai suburb is the protest hub for the Vellore 3. The protest is being linked to the wider movement against the death penalty.
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A poster of a teenage girl, Sengudi, who now occupies a martyr status for the radical Tamil groups that are fighting to free the Vellore 3. Sengudi immolated herself asking for the 3 to be released.
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Arivu's mother breaks down while talking of her son.
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LTTE CDs at the protest venue, which reflect the uneasy alliance between radical Tamil groups and the anti death penalty movement.
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