Santhan, one of the seven released convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, passed away at a hospital in Chennai on Wednesday. Santhan alias Suthenthiraraja was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai in a critical condition last month.
Santhan (55) was referred from Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Trichy and was diagnosed with cryptogenic cirrhosis - a condition with no apparent underlying reason - and was then admitted in the hepatology (liver) ICU, as per a TOI report.
Santhan's death sentence in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case was reduced to imprisonment for life later following an order by Supreme Court dated November 11, 2022.
Santhan, along with five other convicts - Nalini Sriharan, Sriharan, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran - were released from different jails, after spending more than 32 years of incarceration.
Former prime minister of India Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, by the Sri Lanka-based terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during an election rally.
He was the second Indian prime minister to be assassinated after his mother Indira Gandhi, who was killed by her bodyguards.
Santhan was a Sri Lankan national.
E Theranirajan, Dean of the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital said he died at 7.50 am.
Santhan suffered a cardiac arrest around 4 am on Wednesday but was 'revived' following a CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) procedure and was given an oxygen supply and was on a ventilator, Theranirajan said. However, Santhan did not respond to treatment "and he died at 7.50 am today," he said.
"A post mortem will be conducted....legal arrangements are underway for the body to be sent to Sri Lanka," he added.
