After a gap of 33 years, three freed convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case - V Sriharan alias Murugan, Robert Payas and Jayakumar - landed in Colombo last week and later proceeded to their hometown Jaffna.
Sri Lankan immigration officials held an inquiry with them for about three hours following their arrival from Chennai. The trio spent another five hours with CID personnel, and answered all queries, said their lawyer P Pugalenthi, who also accompanied them to Sri Lanka.
“To the officials’ accusation that they had left the island-nation illegally in 1991, we explained how a war-like situation forced them to flee and that there was no time to adhere to procedural formalities. On their part, at the end of the five-hour inquiry, CID found that there were no cases pending against any of them in Sri Lanka. They were, therefore, allowed to leave and proceed to Jaffna,” Pugalenthi said.
The three left for Chennai on being released from the special camp Tuesday. Their release was delayed as officials were waiting for orders from deputy high commission of Sri Lanka in Chennai.
