The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi

by Neena Gopal

On 21 May 1991, journalist Neena Gopal had finished just one part of an interview with Rajiv Gandhi�the last of his life�when his car reached the election rally at Sriperumbudur. Moments later, Rajiv Gandhi was dead, blown up by suicide bomber Dhanu, irrevocably changing the course of Indian politics, as Neena Gopal, just yards behind him, watched in horror. In this gripping, definitive book, Gopal reconstructs the chain of events in India and at the LTTE�s headquarters in Sri Lanka where the assassination plot was hatched, and follows the trail of investigation that led to the assassins being brought to justice. Drawing on extensive interviews, research and her own vast experience as a journalist, she deftly establishes the background�the shortsightedness of India�s Sri Lanka policy; the friction between the intelligence agencies and between the agencies and the external affairs ministry; the many warnings that went unheeded; and the implacable hatred that LTTE supremo Prabhakaran felt for Rajiv Gandhi. Bringing all these complex threads together, Gopal takes us step by step to Sriperumbudur as Rajiv Gandhi walked inexorably to his death on that tragic May evening twenty-five years ago.

Genres: Politics, History, India, Nonfiction, Indian Literature, Terrorism, Biography

240 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2016

Reviews

[Muthuanand · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no regret for the man who spearheaded the 1984 riot and publicly confessed that When a big tree falls, it shakes the earth and ironically the earth blew him up into pieces.

Neena Gopal the last journalist to interview Rajiv Gandhi on the day of his assassination, has her own bias. I read this book just to gain knowledge about what the other side (Rajiv Gandhi's) has to say about their world renowned omnipotent and omniscient leader has done to the world, specifically to india(after his mothers assisination, his sole accomplishment prior to his death,nothing, other than being the man behind 1984 riot) and what made LTTE to plot his assassination, which led to his ultimate death blow.



Read if you are a rajiv gandhi sympathiser.

[Manoj Kakran · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writer and journalist Neena Gopal gets the story from all sides. Book is based on a tremendous amount of research.

[Razeen Muhammed rafi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by Neena Gopal
Author Neena Gopal was last person who interviewed Rajiv Gandhi on his way to Sreeperumbatoor,which unfortunately was his last day of life. He was assassinated by LTTE which they term operation wedding.

Neena was also present few distance away while incident happened.In this book she discusses regarding how LTTE which was trained by Indian Intelligence killed it’s former prime minister.

Rajiv Gandhi was prime person in sending Indian Peace Keeping Force to Srilanka,this made LTTE annoyed .

Meanwhile there was also intelligence report from Srilanka regarding Rajiv Gandhi will be assassinated which was not taken care by RAW. Also SPG protection of Rajiv Gandhi was taken away by his successor prime minister V.P.Singh.

[Umesh Kesavan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book gets better when it talks about the rehabilitation of Tamils. But when it comes to the actual purpose of the book i.e dealing with the assassination of RG , K,Ragothaman's book in Tamil is a better choice.

[Chandrayan Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sheer amount of research that has gone into this book is nothing short of staggering. It is written almost in the form of a story. The prose is nothing stellar and is sometimes a bit long-winded; but if I hadn't known this was a non-fiction account, I would've assumed it was a novel by a top author. Gopal's writing is almost compulsively readable.
As to the subject matter of the book, it wouldn't be proper for me to take sides on the Tamil-Sinhala issue. I belong to neither of these two communities, and if I have been affected in any way by their conflict (or indeed by Rajiv Gandhi's death), it has been in a way of which I'm not consciously aware. My input has zero value here. But what I will say is that this story is one of those which are more violent, provocative, and morally gray than any noir piece. None of the sides involved is fully innocent or guilty (except the civilians caught in the crossfire). The violence is just stomach-churning. All these years, I had no idea as to the level of atrocities being committed so close to home.
This book has the ability introduce in one a curiosity to learn more about this conflict. And in that regard, it deserves all the accolades in the world.

[Srivatsan Srikanth · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a person like me who was always interested and curious about the LTTE and the Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, this book was a good overview and a possible gateway book into the tumultuous politics and history of the Lankan War. The narrative style was very engaging and made me finish the book in less than 24 hours.

The book doesn’t victimise nor demonise any one side but rather tries to paint an objective picture of what happened and maybe raise a few questions that are open to both speculation as well as debate.

In conclusion, this book is definitely worth a read to get a glimpse of the geo-politics behind the assassination, the investigation that led to nabbing some of the assassins as well as a short dip into the history that surrounds the Civil War and the carnage it left behind.

[Shibani Palaniappan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book covers  pertinent details of the assassination and the subsequent  trials and committees installed  to oversee justice rendered  to a certain extent without being partial to a certain extent. 

The author has tried to bring out the Tamil sinhala conflict which led to the interference of Rajiv  Gandhi under Jayawardhene's request.  It does clearly state that Rajiv Gandhi made a grave error without paying heed to his foreign  secretary  and deployed IPKF in Jaffna. It also calls  out the atrocities of the Sri Lankan  army which instigated the LTTE to resort to extreme forces. 

However the narrative  could have emphasized on the nature of the facts stated in the 13th amendment of the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement, bringing out the facts  agreed upon. Though Rajiv Gandhi had been pulled into the battle by Jayawardane, he was not prescient enough to notice that foreign boots were unwelcome

India (RAW) trained LTTE, by providing arms and militant training,  and then changes direction  midway and tries to fight them! The term IPKF is ironically an acronym for peace keeping  force  but have they really tried to bring peace!

[மகேஷ் Mahesh · Rating 1 out of 5]

It shows only about Rajiv Gandhi and his assassination , yeah I know the name of the book also reveals that too , but the author Neena gopal add so many misinformation in this book which might influence the people who don't have an Idea or knowledge about eelam and LTTE . In this book chapter 1 , 2 tells the incidents of Rajiv Gandhi and 3 & 5 tells the conspiracies and RAW truth, but it also have lot of lies and myths about LTTE and Thalaivar prabhakaran ,other all the chapters are contain only the lies of Srilankan armies which said in media, basically this author is not ready to say what exactly happened in tamil eelam and she also refuse to accept it is an genocide which done by Srilankan army and officials, so kindly I'm reminding here if you want to know about the Rajiv Gandhi assassination chapter 1&2 is enough , after that if you want to know the Lies about eelam you can read other chapters .

Note
This book is very untrue and it should be said that this book has shown the Tamil Eelam people in a very bad way.

[pallav mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of information and is admittedly very insightful...but horribly written. Difficult to believe Neena Gopal is/was a journalist. Not structured like a book but like a montage of ideas. The english is fairly pedestrian.

[Saket Suman · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by Neena Gopal is one recent non-fiction title that will remain frozen in the reader's mind for a long time to come. On 21 May 1991, journalist Neena Gopal had finished just one part of an interview with Rajiv Gandhi ~ the last of his life ~ when his car reached the election rally at Sriperumbudur. Moments later, Rajiv Gandhi was dead, blown up by suicide bomber Dhanu, irrevocably changing the course of Indian politics, as Neena Gopal, just yards behind him, watched in horror. In this gripping, definitive book, Gopal reconstructs the chain of events in India and at the LTTE's headquarters in Sri Lanka, where the assassination plot was hatched, and follows the trail of investigation that led to the assassins being brought to justice. Drawing on extensive interviews, research and her own vast experience as a journalist, she deftly establishes the background ~ the short-sightedness of India's Sri Lanka policy; the friction among the intelligence agencies and between the agencies and the external affairs ministry; the many warnings that went unheeded and the implacable hatred that LTTE supremo Prabhakaran felt for Rajiv Gandhi. Bringing all these complex threads together, Gopal takes us step by step to Sriperumbudur as Rajiv Gandhi walked inexorably to his death on that tragic May evening 25 years ago.
Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India, serving from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the 1984 assassination of his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to become the youngest Indian Prime Minister. Gandhi was a scion of the politically powerful Nehru-Gandhi family, which had been associated with the Indian National Congress party. For much of his childhood, his maternal grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister. Gandhi attended college in the UK. After Sanjay's death in an aeroplane crash in 1980, Gandhi reluctantly entered politics at the behest of Indira. The following year he won his brother's Parliamentary seat of Amethi and became a member of the Lok Sabha. As part of his political grooming, Rajiv was made a general secretary of the Congress party and given significant responsibility in organising the 1982 Asian Games. On the morning of 31 October 1984, his mother was assassinated by two of her bodyguards; later that day, Gandhi was appointed Prime Minister. His leadership was tested over the next few days as organised mobs rioted against the Sikh community, resulting in riots in Delhi. That December, an almost nationwide sympathy vote for the Congress party helped it win its largest-ever Lok Sabha majority ~ 411 seats out of 542.
In the book, the author vividly recalls the events that led to the assasination and what brought her at the scene: "...after endless telephone calls, I had finally tracked down Rajiv Gandhi's campaign manager and former diplomat, Mani Shankar Aiyar, who had told me on the night of 20 May to be present at Guindy the next day, and promised he would ensure an exclusive interview during the course of Rajiv Gandhi's election halt at Madras (now Chennai). So there I was." But little did the author then know that this interview would be the last one that the former Prime Minister ever gave. The book is published by Penguin India and is priced at Rs 499.
"I can still recall, in that split second before the explosion, the strange whooshing sound; a series of sputters, followed by a massive, resounding blast accompanied by a great, blinding flash of light. The heat, searing, singeing, knocked me back with its strength, raining death on everybody in front of me. I didn't know what exactly had happened. I looked around peering through the smoke. There seemed to be no one else in front of me. Could I really be the last man standing?"
The author goes on to point out that almost a year before the assasination of Rajiv Gandhi, India's chief of military intelligence in Sri Lanka had informed the Intelligence Bureau in Chennai about the "Rajiv Gandhine marana podungo (bump off Rajiv Gandhi)" fuss within the LTTE camps. He was ridiculed and asked not to be stupid. Nobody saw it coming, neither the RAW, IB nor other security and intelligence agencies. Apart from this, Gopal also points to several loopholes that, in some ways, contributed to the assasination. The author argues that the venue itself was very odd as Rajiv Gnadhi had to travel 50 kms away from Chennai to attend a rally of very few people and then there were the loopholes in the security system, which allowed a 17-year-old girl to walk up to him, weighed down by half a kilo of RDX, despite two metal detectors in place.
Several other similar facets that find mention in the book are a boon for those looking to revisit that phase from our recent history.

First published in Beyond Books, The Statesman
http://www.inkstreet.in/2016/09/revie...

[Sajith Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rajiv Gandhi’s swearing in as the prime minister of India after his mother’s assassination by her own bodyguards was a paradigm shift in the orientation of Indian politics. He brought in a refreshing wind of a short-lived optimism that wafted gently across the political and economic domains of the country. He brokered peace deals with the Mizos, Sikhs and Sri Lankan Tamils. Even in the face of this impressive record, there were forces inimical to him lurking at every corner of the disputed areas in which his peace came into being. In a carefully orchestrated suicide attack, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and its leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran assassinated the icon of the new face of Indian politicians in 1991. This incident, its antecedents and its aftermath that finally led to the tigers being vanquished by the Sri Lanka army in 2009 are covered in this book. The author is a journalist and what makes this book unique is that she was the person who did the very last interview with Rajiv, just moments before the fateful blast on that night at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The author describes the gory scene which she witnessed after the blast. A great attribute of this work is that it followed up on events after the assassination too. The survey in fact extends to the year 2015 in which she visited Jaffna again to take stock of the ground reality six years after the tigers were wiped off. It is disconcerting to note that the frustration and anger among ordinary Tamils is building up on account of the Sinhala majority not yet fully taking them into confidence. A repeat of the three decades of civil war and indescribable strife would only spell the doom of the island nation. This book calls on all interested parties – both local and international – to take stock of the present situation to bring about a lasting peace.

Gopal puts up a clear picture of the chain of events that led to the brutal murder of the young leader. The illustrated scenario is that of naiveté and lack of experience in doing realpolitik on the part of Gandhi. This is quite excusable as he was reluctant even to enter politics after the accidental death of his younger brother, Sanjay. Indira Gandhi shrewdly followed the policy of keeping the Sri Lankans on tenterhooks with liberal assistance in resources to Tamil separatists. When Rajiv rose to power, this situation put him in a dilemma. The logistical support India was extending to Lankan Tamils was similar to what Pakistan showered on Kashmiri separatists. Being a gentleman as a person, though inexperienced in politics, this upset Rajiv Gandhi. He tried hard to reach a political settlement of the vexed issue. He managed to reach a hodgepodge deal with both sides in 1987 which was bound to crumble even before the ink dried on the signatures. Sri Lanka wanted Indian army to keep peace as specified in the accord that is to be a precondition to provincial autonomy. LTTE took exception to this move which would have forced them to disarm. Skirmishes between LTTE and the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) soon turned into a battle in which heavy damages were inflicted on both sides. It slowly dawned on Indian leaders that this would be a Vietnam for the Indian army. Around this time, Rajiv’s name was tarnished by the Bofors gun scam beyond redemption. His government fell in the 1989 election and V P Singh came to power. The new government was beset with slowing down of the economy and was in no mood to continue with the Sri Lankan misadventure. It recalled the forces in 1990. But the fratricidal strife in the ruling coalition was getting ugly and unmanageable. Events moved swiftly with V P Singh stepping down and Chandrasekhar assuming premiership with Congress support. It was apparent to anybody, including the prime minister, that his seat was secure only till the Congress was fully prepared for fresh polls. Just five months later, the moment arrived. On a flimsy excuse of snooping by the government, Rajiv withdrew his support to the government which fell soon after. Elections were called for the month of May 1991. Rajiv Gandhi was touted to win the election and come back as premier.

LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was disturbed at Chandrasekhar coming to power with Rajiv Gandhi’s support. With the elections announced and Congress’ return on the cards, he was terrified at the prospect of Rajiv back in power and sending Indian troops again to Lanka. He wanted to put an end to Rajiv’s life in his first political assassination of a foreign leader. He was helped by the scant security provided to Rajiv. The author is quite vocal on this point and she puts the blame squarely on V P Singh’s door. It was he who decided to scrap the security by special commandos provided for former prime ministers. She claims that Rajiv Gandhi was too proud to ask for Z-category security and his political opponents lacked the generosity of spirit to give it to him especially when Kashmiri and Khalistani rebels were baying for his blood. Rajiv didn’t trust Prabhakaran and his LTTE. His idea was to devolve self-rule to more moderate Tamil outfits like TULF and EPRLF. This was greatly resented by the LTTE supremo who harboured ambitions of ruling over a greater Eelam by setting up the new regime annexing India’s Tamil Nadu state as well.

Prabhakaran might have relished the moment when the news of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination reached him. But little did he realize that he had met his nemesis. Killing Rajiv was the biggest blunder the Tamil tigers had committed which eventually led to the organization’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka army in 2009. The book dedicates a chapter on the unraveling of the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka. India provided all the resources in men, material, finance and weapons during the growth phase of LTTE. All that stopped completely after Rajiv Gandhi’s murder. Indian secret services switched sides and collaborated with the Sri Lankans to cut down the Tamil menace. It even tried to cause dissent among the tigers and enrolled the support of Mahattaya, the second in the organization. The idea was that Mahattaya should depose Prabhakaran and take the reins of the force. However the plot was somehow revealed and Prabhakaran lost no time in eliminating his second-in-command after weeks of torture. The tigers signed a deal with the Lankan government in 2002 mainly to buy time since they had no intention at all of reaching a peaceful settlement. After supposedly recouping losses, Prabhakaran began a series of suicide bombings against Sri Lankan top brass including the army chief and defence secretary in 2006. But this time, Prabhakaran’s luck had run out. The world had changed after 9/11 and was not at all prepared to acquiesce in to the tactics of a terrorist organization like LTTE. Indian and international aid flowed to Sri Lanka, whose army began a determined last war against it. The LTTE soon lost its strongholds in the North and East of the country. They made a last-ditch attempt to escape keeping the civilians as human shields. This only made the plight of civilians pathetic. As estimated by the UN, 40,000 of them were killed in the death trap at Vaduvakkal, laid by the army. Hundreds of women were raped and the tigers watched helplessly. Finally, the moment came when the war ended, with Prabhakaran’s mutilated body found by Sri Lankan troops at Nandikkadal. Both of his sons were also killed by the army.

Being a journalist and on quite expected lines, the book includes sensational claims without much supporting evidence. During the anti-American ‘socialist’ phase of Indian politics, the relationship between the two largest democracies in the world had reached its lowest ebb following the populist but short-sighted measures of Indira Gandhi and the country’s strategic dependence on the Soviet Union. Naturally, the US wanted to establish its bases encircling India. But even with this background, the author’s claim that the proposed radio transmitter of the Voice of America at Trincomalee in Sri Lanka was a bid to snoop on India is a little too far-fetched. She assumes a condescending attitude to anything Indian in the first few chapters of the book, with references to peeling paint of the airport building and potholes on the roads. These peeling paint and potholes are the fetishes of some foreign authors on India, which is faithfully copied by Gopal. A curious fact to note about the book is that it doesn’t ruffle any feathers. There are no new revelations upsetting anybody. A good index is attached, but a few photographic plates would have added much interest. The book is good to read, but M R Narayan Swamy’s ‘Tiger Vanquished’, is much better.

The book is highly recommended.

[Dr Naveen]

the 'assasin' alini must be released.


NOT AN ASSASINATION BUT SUICIDE by rajiv :

Reason for sucide: this p u nk rajiv a typical psychopaths/mob family. He instigated 1984 sikh riots after his hoe( a women of low means and no slef respect and no educaiton) mother PM indira was murdered.( was she a body double? may be) and later the month after this he also set to fire to bhopal/union carbide plant(releasing toxi chemcials across the village kllling 1000ssss) in revenge for killing of hoe mother indira gandhi. both these crimes hv been cpvered up and till date no justice done for this. smae like godhra case.

Worst to follow 1984 was bofors bribing scandal.
And susbequently, the outrage over bofors scandal (tip of the iceberg) and the various swiss acount details leaked to the media, he knew he has no option but to kill ('erasure'?) himself rather than be an embarassment for other mobster in Indina government. this was like a pandoras box.
Realising this and the impact his reckless action would befall the entire congress- i party, allies( dreaded aiadmk, dmk included) he committed suicide.
the Body double theory (was it real rajiv gandhi?) also cannot be ruled out. As by living a new life with new identifity he can direct his family fortunes and that of his hoe wife( yes, a hoe from italy ) sonia gandhi.
now those who understand this must know we are dealing with 'globalist'
the s c u ms of the earth. so think well and remmeber that to succeed in life always -less is more.
then u will live long enough to realise your brain power. objecitve -make globalist the derelicts

more inputs: there was the LTTE war and ongoing crimes by LTTE wiht Tamilnaud government funding LTTe adding to the worries for srilanka. so Rajiv sent in IPFK and sort of angered the tamilnaud governemtns) raitors dmk , aiadmk ) plus Sonai gandhi his wife actually seems ot hv LTTE conneciton -smugggling etc. so has this set off the alarm bells in rajiv minds. this i deduced fomr Dr s sawmy researhc that sonia is behind the killing or is it 'killing'(body double)?

conclusion-Gandhi family must be booted out. the fact these dumb idiots(sonia , indira her mother in law) dont realise Gandhi ji is a low class lawyer and an immoral persons tells you how illeterate like indira are bieg propped up a sleaders by some psychopath such as CIA/George Bush.

About gandhiji (father of the nation)
British usually considers such chacharacters like Ganhi ji in commonwealth nations as activist/guerillas not freedom fighters. but in case of india they didnt take this measure? why?
well taking into account India has no gold or silver or diamond mines. so stakes were low. and it therefore it helps to portay a s c um like m k gandhi s a hero and fool the country.

[Yogi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Author's proximity to the crime scene lends credibility to the turn of events that would culminate in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbadur. The Author has explored the gruesome event from many angles and recalls the immediate aftermath & reaction at ground zero. This is worth reading for people who may have read other investigative books on the same subject, it somehow paints a more vivid picture of the events that unravelled on that fateful night; The author pretty much takes the official version of the investigation in dealing with the capture & subsequent prosecution of the assassins. There is more to the conspiracy than what is covered in the book, a book that is released after 7 years after the end of the Civil war in Srilanka with the crushing defeat of the dreaded LTTE does little justice to investigate the other angles to the assassination. One still wonders how can a handful, yet highly motivated, individuals carry out an assassination that requires such precision & meticulous planning evading Indian & international Intelligence? It was well known that Rajiv faced threat to his life, why did the agencies overlook this fact? The tone and tenor of such questions raised by the Author do indicate that she too is suspicious of the involvement of internal elements in the conspiracy that killed the ex-Prime Minister of India, but does little in terms of giving it a shape and contour as an important factor to be considered.

The book loses steam towards the end as it veers off the topic to examine post-war Jaffna/Srilankan Tamil Issue, which I think is irrelevant to the subject at hand and also to expect sympathy from Srilankan Tamils for Rajiv's assassination is a bit too much given the hostility the Indo-Srilankan Accord attracted in Tamil Nadu, India and especially the alleged atrocities committed by IPKF on the Srilankan Tamils. To expect that Srilankan Tamils will show sympathy, if not compassion for Rajiv, given the fact he truly did take their interest to heart and gestures like operation "poo malai" is to live in fool's paradise.

This is a good book to read on the subject, but not the best or comprehensive one on the subject.

[Sulthana Shams · Rating 4 out of 5]

_The Assassination Of Rajiv Gandhi_

On 21st May, 1991, Neena Gopal was interviewing Rajiv Gandhi during the election rally at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. Gandhi’s ‘Z’ security cover had been withdrawn by the V.P. Singh government, and only his lone bodyguard was present with him on the day. Neena Gopal asked him if he feared for his life.

In response, #rajivgandhi asked: “Have you noticed how every time a South Asian leader rises to a position of power or is about to achieve something, he is cut down, attacked, killed...”

Moments later, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber along with 14 others. #neenagopal became the last journalist to have interviewed Gandhi. In her book, she reconstructs the chain of events that led to this day, from the political climate in India and Sri Lanka, involvement of India in Sri Lankan civil war, removal of ‘Z’ security cover for Gandhi, ignored warnings from intelligence agencies an year back that hinted at a possible attack, the hatching of plan in LTTE headquarters in Sri Lanka and everything that led to the assassination of a wonderful man who was at the brink of a second term as Prime Minister of the largest democracy in the world and whose death became a tremendous loss for India.

Rajiv Gandhi stepping in as the youngest PM of India after the assassination of his mother and then PM Indira Gandhi, was the first step to a paradigm shift in Indian politics. His decision to send Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) to Sri Lanka to end civil war and help create a state that is inclusive of Sri lankan Tamils came at the cost of his life.
LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran saw this peace keeping strategy as treachery and an attempt to quash LTTE’s dreams of a separate Tamil state. This led to the harbouring of a deep hatred for Rajiv Gandhi and LTTE saw his rise to a second term as PM as a threat to their existence.

A well paced book with good background work and information provided about 1980’s India and Sri Lanka political climate and it’s repercussions.

[Abhishek Dafria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The assassination of a political leader is always a big story. The assassination of a former Prime Minister, on the brink of stepping into that role for the second time in the world's largest democratic country, is definitively a massive one. Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991 by a suicide bomber had sent shockwaves across India and beyond, and till date continues to evoke interest amongst historians and students of political science. Neena Gopal’s narrative is the latest reincarnation of the harrowing incident of 1991 and its ramifications. Neena Gopal, a journalist who was within yards of Rajiv Gandhi taking his interview on that ill-fated day, recounts those moments before the assassination and how her world froze when the devastating explosion took place. In her book, she digs deeper into the politics of Sri Lanka and the infamous Prabhakaran, leader of the group called LTTE which was held responsible for the suicide bombing, and gives a great account of the anger and hatred that the LTTE’s leader had developed over Rajiv Gandhi. Neena Gopal also covers the investigative process in detail, much like a crime thriller, that led the investigators to some of the key gang members behind the assassination. Neena Gopal also brings the new Jaffna to the readers, the place which Prabhakaran ruled in his hey days, which is now trying to emerge from the bloodshed of many decades. An area that I felt Neena Gopal could have additionally talked about was the change seen in the political landscape of India after the event of 1991. The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi is nevertheless a well-written account of a key moment in India’s history providing some fascinating details about the many factors that were in play then.

[Meenakshi Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well researched book -- by far the best I have read -- on Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. Neena Gopal aptly lays bare the goof ups by our foreign policymakers, RAW, IB, the then governments at the centre as well as the state, which led to the assassination. But most of all, she argues, it is Rajiv himself who is to be blamed for his foolishness. Why put your boots down in a country where you are neither a hit with the majority nor the minority? The author brilliantly brings forth the events prior to the killing as well as the present day situation in Sri Lanka. She is superb with her choice of words for the war mongering LTTE and its megalomaniac leader Prabhakaran. Towards the end, the book somehow makes me believe that there is faint hope for the Tamils in Sri Lanka. They are after all the "vanquished" ones.

[Rama · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minor things such as the clunky writing aside, this is a highly readable account of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and the events surrounding it. The scope, however, has been extended to the impact of Rajiv's policies and the Indo-Sri Lankan accord on the Tamil side of things and even to the end of Velupillai Prabhakaran. I read this in less than three hours and, except for the terrible last sentence, the clunky writing doesn't detract too much from the readability.

[Prashanth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very neutral account of the assassination and the events leading up to it . I would have preferred a longer and more detailed account of why Rajiv changed his stance nevertheless a comprehensive book on LTTE and the plot to kill Rajiv . The boom also throws light on the current situation in the northern province of Srilanka and how things are getting back to normal . A good read !

[VINOTHKUMAR K · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a short one trying to capture the assassination and the root cause of it. But it is too short to cover the entire topic. I feel the author is biased against Prabhakaran and I myself felt having negative thoughts about him after completing the book. Need to read some more books about the conflict before coming to a conclusion about Prabhakaran.

[Palwai]

Completed reading
"The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi"
by @NeenaGopal.
A great Chronicle of what happened, why it happened, how it happened - and above all what is the future of Tamils in #SriLanka, and impact on #India.

[Kartik Srinivas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is an honest account of the author's access to Rajiv Gandhi. 2 stars, because it is written hapht, without sharing context.

[Diwakar Selvam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author/journalist has shed more light on the period before the asssination..

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. Loved it

[Shreya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books presents in a tightly knit structure the various political factors that led to the assassination. Focusing on the facets in each of part of her book, Gopal intersperses her journalistic experience and information from sources to put forth to the reader a vivid picture of the hows and whys, concluding with a description of the present-day scenario.

[Arvind Jha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a random buy from the bookstore. I picked it up just because I was fascinated by the title of the book. I wanted to read about it. But all the directly relevant information about the title was dealt within the first two chapters. Rest of the book deals with the part that how it came to this that Rajiv Gandhi needed to be assassinated by LTTE. Book talks in great detail about India’s involvement with LTTE and in Sri Lankan Civil War. It was quite a fascinating read. It was so thought provoking for me that I had to verify every information on internet. But this book not perfect, it also has few problems with it. The book does not have the accurate title or I should rather say the title of the book does not justifies the content. The book deals more about the Sri Lankan civil war rather than the assassination. The assassination is one part of the story which made the author look into the matter. The author, in later chapter, also moves too much to and fro in the time. It does not move smoothly, which makes it quite difficult sometimes to understand the context or the time period of certain events.

I would recommend this book only to those people who want to know about the involvement of India in Sri Lankan civil war and with LTTE and how it led the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi

[Nikhil Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

An bone-chilling account of the assassination of India's youngest Prime Minister as witnessed by a journalist who stood just yards away from him as a human bomb shred him into pieces of flesh.

[Prasanna Sekar · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Excellent analysis of events that lead to the assassination with amazing insights into the srilankan tamil Issue"

[Iqra Tasmiae]

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