Save Rajiv's assassins, Karuna appeals to Sonia

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi on Friday appealed to Congress President Sonia Gandhi to intervene and save the lives of three death row convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, saying appeals by Tamils across the world needed to be considered in the spirit of "forget and forgive".

In a statement he said, "Congress which is heading the central government and its leader Sonia Gandhi should come forward to save the three lives."

Noting that only a few days were left for taking a decision on the issue, he said both the Centre and the Tamil Nadu governments should take all efforts and commute the death sentence of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, whose clemency petitions were rejected by President Pratibha Patil recently.

"There is an emergent need for us to take all possible efforts to save their lives on humanitarian ground and (in) the spirit of forget and forgive," he said.

This was necessary in view of "appeals made by Tamils the world over" and also considering the fact that the three had already spent 20 years in prison, he added.

Earlier in the day, the assassins Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, who are on death row appealed to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to intervene in the matter even as their hanging may take place on September 9.

Reports said authorities at Vellore jail have fixed their execution on September 9, but there was no official confirmation.

The three convicts lodged in central prison in Vellore handed over their appeal addressed to the chief minister to the jail authorities, police said. A communication from the President's Secretariat rejecting their clemency petitions reached prison authorities pm Thursday night.

The death sentences of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan were confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2000. The capital punishment of the fourth convict Nalini was, however, commuted to life by the apex court.

The three men and Nalini belonged to LTTE and were convicted of assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.

Meanwhile, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief Vaiko on Friady met the trio in Vellore jail. One of their advocates Pugazhendhi said they "would soon decide on the next plan of action".