Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi — 1991 assassination of the 6th Prime Minister of India
The suicide bombing assassination of former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi by an LTTE operative in 1991 destabilized Indian politics and implicated a foreign separatist group in domestic affairs.
Key Facts
- Date
- 21 May 1991
- Total killed
- At least 16 (including Gandhi and assassin)
- Assassin
- Kalaivani Rajaratnam (Dhanu), age 22
- Perpetrating organization
- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
- Attack method
- Suicide bombing
- Political fallout
- Brought down the government of I.K. Gujral
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
India's military intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War through the Indian Peace Keeping Force had ended shortly before the assassination. The LTTE, a banned Sri Lankan Tamil separatist organization, harbored hostility toward Rajiv Gandhi for authorizing that intervention, motivating the group to orchestrate his killing.
On 21 May 1991, during an election campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, a 22-year-old LTTE operative named Kalaivani Rajaratnam (Dhanu) detonated a suicide bomb near Rajiv Gandhi. The explosion killed Gandhi along with at least 14 other bystanders and the bomber herself.
The assassination triggered two major commissions of inquiry into alleged conspiracies surrounding the attack. The political repercussions were severe enough to bring down the national government of Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral. The event intensified scrutiny of the LTTE's activities and India's broader security and foreign policy toward Sri Lanka.
Political Outcome
Rajiv Gandhi and at least 14 others were killed; LTTE responsibility was established; two commissions of inquiry were convened; the Gujral government fell as a result of the political fallout.
Rajiv Gandhi leading Congress party in 1991 general election campaign
Political vacuum following Gandhi's death; subsequent collapse of the Gujral government over conspiracy allegations