History Today: When Rajiv Gandhi said ‘Relax, don’t worry’. Moments later, he died

The day May 21, 1991 is a black day for India. It was the day when the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. An Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) activist named Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, also known as Dhanu, detonated an RDX-laden suicide belt while greeting the prime minister at a function.

But that’s not all that happened on this day in the past. On this very day, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic. It’s also on this day that the American Red Cross was founded.

If you are a history buff and want a recap of the big events in the years gone by, Firstpost’s History Today is just the thing to read.

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The assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, 34 years ago

The year 1991 saw India in election mode. Leaders of different parties were on a campaign spree and Rajiv Gandhi of the Congress was no different. With a vigour not seen previously, he was campaigning from state to state, all in the hopes of securing a victory.

After wrapping up his campaign in Andhra Pradesh, Gandhi was keen to leave for Tamil Nadu where he was scheduled to address a rally Sriperumbudur. At first, the Congress leader was informed that his helicopter had developed some technical snag and flying to Chennai wouldn’t be possible. A disappointed Rajiv Gandhi headed towards the state guest house.

However, while Gandhi was still on his way to the guest house, the police team escorting him received a wireless message that the copter was ready to fly. Soon, he made an about turn and headed again towards the airport.

Around 8.30 pm, Gandhi arrived at what was then known as Madras airport where he was received by Congress leaders and they made their way to Sriperumbudur for the rally. By the time, he reached the spot, it was already 10.10 pm. A huge gathering was already there waiting for him. A song was being played showering praise on Rajiv Gandhi invoking name of his mother Indira Gandhi.

When he reached the spot, Gandhi approached the crowds — first, gravitating towards the men’s section and then headed towards the gallery where women were cheering for him.

As he moved towards the women, a young lady, later identified as Dhanu, carrying a garland, approached Rajiv Gandhi. Although she was stopped by a female police officer, the Gandhi insisted on letting his followers meet him. He told the official: “Relax, don’t worry.”

However, those were the last words he ever said, as moments later, at 10.21 pm, Dhanu triggered a bomb that was hidden inside the garland while touching Gandhi’s feet before garlanding him. Gandhi, the woman and 14 others instantaneously died.

Investigating officials and witnesses, who were present at the site, recount that there was blood and human flesh everywhere. Rajiv Gandhi’s body was identified from his Lotto shoes and Gucci wrist watch.

Following the assassination, the probe was handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CBI at the Tamil Nadu government’s request. A month later, AG Perarivalan was arrested by the officials for felicitating the probe.

Years later, in 1998, the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court sentenced 26 accused to death. In 1999, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of accused Perarivalan, Nalini , her husband Murugan, Santhan. Over a decade and a lot of appeals later, the execution of Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan was fixed for September 2011. In 2014, however, the Supreme Court commuted the death sentence of the three into life sentence.

In November 2022, the Supreme Court ordered the immediate release of six convicts who were serving life sentences for more than three decades. The six convicts were Nalini, Ravichandran, Jayakumar, Santhan, Murugan and Robert Pius. This marked the end of one of the country’s most tragic tales.

Amelia Earhart scripts history

Today, women pilots taking to the skies is a normal occurrence. However, on May 21, 1932, Amelia Earhart made history when she flew nonstop across the Atlantic — making her the first woman to ever do so.

The 34-year-old left Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, Canada on her red Lockheed Vega and 15 hours later landed near Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

This flight established Earhart as an international feminist icon and earned her many awards. These include the Gold Medal from the National Geographic Society, the Distinguished Flying Cross from the US Congress, and the Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French government.

However, in 1937, the world lost this icon whilst she attempted to fly around the world. Earhart’s plane disappeared in the South Pacific in July — her plane was never found, and she was officially declared lost at sea.

This Day, That Year

1881: Humanitarians Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons founded the American National Red Cross, an organisation established to provide humanitarian aid to victims of wars and natural disasters.

1904: Fifa, or the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, was established by seven national associations — Belgium, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland — to “promote the game of Association Football (as opposed to rugby or American football), to foster friendly relations among National Associations, Confederations, and their officials and players, by promoting the organization of football matches at all levels, and to control every type of association football by taking steps as shall be deemed necessary or advisable.”

1994: Sushmita Sen made history by winning the Miss Universe pageant, becoming the first Indian to claim the title.