The Hunt: Who wanted Rajiv Gandhi dead?

Nagesh Kukunoor's The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case begins after the former Indian PM was assassinated - know all about it

A still from The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case

The recently released web series The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case continues to intrigue one-and-all. Who really wanted the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi dead is a question that lingers in everybody's mind. Here's decoding the answer to that, in detail...

How did Rajiv Gandhi die?

In order to understand who killed Rajiv Gandhi, it is crucial to understand how the former PM actually died. It happened on May 21, 1991, during a general election rally. After visiting Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, he headed to Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

Sources claim that while the PM received death threats, he was told that there was no security concern, and thus, he walked towards the dias where he was to deliver a speech. Gandhi also accepted garlands from the general public. There, disguised as his follower, stood suicide bomber Kalaivani Rajaratnam aka Captain Akino of the banned Sri Lankan Tamil separatist rebel organisation Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). She bent down to touch his feet and, at 10.10 pm, detonated the RDX-laden belt. This caused 16 deaths, including Gandhi, Rajaratnam, and conspirator Haribabu, who filmed the entire incident. As many as 43 people were counted to be seriously injured following the incident.

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Who wanted Rajiv Gandhi dead?

While Rajaratnam was the human bomb, there was another mastermind who planned the attack. It was her cousin brother, Chandrasekharam Pillai Packiyachandram. Malligai Pillai, his cousin sister, was the backup suicide bomber.

The cousins agreed to carry out the mission on the command of LTTE chief Prabhakaran, who was displeased with the idea of how India ended its involvement in the Sri Lankan Civil War through the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). Gandhi had promised to send the IPKF to disarm the LTTE if he came to power. Already furious over the numerous war crimes against Sri Lankan Tamils, Prabhakaran decided to assassinate Gandhi before he came to power again. Thus, Packiyachandram came into the picture, planned, and executed the attack.

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Where to stream The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case?

If you wish to find out how did the special investigation team (SIT) under D. R. Karthikeyan decode the assassination case (without the help of modern technology), stream The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case on SonyLIV via OTTplay Premium now! Packed with powerful performances, the Nagesh Kukunoor directorial deserves to be on your binge-list.

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