Sumanth Raman Profile picture
May 21 11 tweets 3 min read
A few weeks after the assassination of #RajivGandhi I got a call from the News Unit of DD Chennai asking for me to give the voice over for a tape that was being put together compiling the evidence.Since the evidence was confidential at that time,the dubbing would be done at night
For days together I would go to the studio post 10 pm. A DSP from the CBI team would join me along with one editor and a sound engineer. Painstakingly each piece of evidence would be given an exhibit number and the details of what it was, where it was found etc.wd be recorded
There were hundreds of such pieces of evidence and as the process continued it gave me an idea of the meticulous planning and sheer ruthlessness of the operation that killed Rajiv. Some of the photos were too gory to be published. Human remains shredded to bits was evidence too
So many of those killed with Rajiv were police personnel and political workers,innocent people killed for no fault of theirs and many in the line of duty.There was a young child too,10 year old Kokilavani who was killed along with her mother.She had gone to recite a poem to Rajiv
There was also a 17 year old college student Saroja Devi and a Police SP Mohammed Iqbal.All except Rajiv and his PSO Pradeep Gupta were Tamils,14 of them,slain in cold blood.Yet hardly anyone today remembers their names or names of 45 others who sustained injuries, some grievous
Some are living with disabilities,shrapnel still embedded in their bodies.They live difficult lives while those who lost family members still grieve their loss 31 yrs later.Many of them hv not forgiven the killers.Their voices need to be heard too.Gandhi family may hv forgiven
Other families have not.I supported the release of Perarivalan. Little did I know that he would receive a hero's welcome being hugged by the Chief Minister who also presented him a shawl. What is the message this sends out to those 14 families? How is it that a duly elected CM
can hug the killer of a former PM of this country? Perarivalan was released not because he was proven innocent but perhaps because the scale of his role in the conspiracy did not justify further incarceration. He was released on grounds of mercy having served his time.
How come no one advised the CM not to go overboard with the reception?Did he really feel this was the right thing to do?A simple statement saying he welcomed the order of the Court and the release would have sufficed.Does the CM believe that the Sri Lankan Tamil issue gets votes?
If it did Vaiko wd hv become CM two decades ago. If the other 6 are released(4 of them are Sri Lankan citizens),will they also receive shawls and hugs?People of Tamil Nadu want peace. They feel for their brethren in Sri Lanka but want to have nothing to do with extremist groups
Releasing convicted killers on grounds of mercy is one thing. Treating them as heroes or martyrs is another thing altogether. Someone should tell @mkstalin the difference. #rajivgandhideathanniversary #RajivGandhiAssassination

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More from @sumanthraman

May 2
Lie 1:Students took oath in Sanskrit.NOT TRUE. It was in English
Lie 2:Oath taken on fire, Brahmin etc.NOT TRUE
Lie 3:Oath had in it stuff about not treating widows,growing beard etc.NOT TRUE
Lie 4:Central Govt said it is compulsory.NOT TRUE. It is optional #MaduraiMedicalCollege
The ability of the media to twist facts to suit a narrative is mind boggling. What oath the students took at Madurai is what should matter, not what all Charak wrote in the 2nd Century. I personally think that we should stick to the Hippocratic oath but that is just my opinion
But the students took an oath not too different from the Hippocratic oath, Now that the lies have been exposed they have latched on to the part about women patients not being examined alone without the presence of an attendant. This is widely practiced world over even today.
Read 6 tweets
Apr 19
Dear Hindutva friends, a few points to ponder
1.Putting down Muslims is not going to make your lives better even by a tiny bit
2. By supporting intolerance&hate you are putting at risk your future and that of your children as no country which has persistent disharmony can thrive
3. It takes just one spark to burn down a forest. Do not think violence can be easily controlled or that it only happens to others.Most victims of communal violence are not those who indulge in violence themselves.
4.Those who feed you a steady drip of hate are better protected
They are guarded 24x7.
5.The unemployed youth who form a large part of these religious rallies are often hired or egged on to cause trouble or provoke.
6. There are crazies in all religions. They do not represent the faith. Ignore them. Do not give them the publicity they crave
Read 6 tweets
Mar 15
Muslim girls have been wearing hijab to school in several schools across the country for quite a while. It has hardly been an issue until now.Schools themselves did not think it created a conflict with the uniform. In fact in several schools the hijab was in the color of uniform
By raising this issue now the opportunity is created for Hindutva groups/Govt to force schools into taking a stand. This will further alienate the Muslim community and importantly, put their own girls in a difficult situation. Educating the Muslim women is the best chance we have
of solving issues of fundamentalism within the community and ensuring their greater social integration.Hatred should not be allowed to trump common sense.The choice of wearing a hijab must be left to Muslim girls,not her parents,not the State, not religious preachers. #HijabBan
Read 8 tweets
Mar 13
At a time when oil prices are going through the roof here is something to ponder. Sources tell me that ONGC production from their oil wells in Tamil Nadu in Jan 2021 was 1125 TPD. It is now down to 850 TPD. One TPD is around 6.4 barrels so that's a shortfall of 1760 barrels/day
Apparently this is because ONGC is being denied permission to drill new wells or even carry out repairs to existing wells. So the loss is almost 1.76 lakh dollars a day in foreign exchange. As far as natural gas goes, just not being allowed to repair sick wells is costing India
3.5 lakh standard cubic metres of gas a day. And this can be got merely by carrying out repairs,not drilling new wells. Apparently Dist Collectors are worried about media inciting local people even if ONGC staff only repairs existing wells. So we have a bizzare situation
Read 7 tweets
Jan 17
Tamil Nadu float has been "rejected" in R-Day because Modi Govt felt that freedom fighters in Tamil Nadu should not be respected? Wow. Fake propaganda machine in full swing today. By the time the truth is told to people the lie would have travelled all over the world.
Each year only limited number of floats from States are selected. Defence Ministry appoints committee of people from field of arts etc to finalize the list. 6-7 rounds of shortlisting and discussions are held. Floats can be rejected for any number of reasons, theme, visual appeal
non conformity to guidelines, etc.. Tamil Nadu has had its float in the R Day parade in 6 of the last 8 years, far more than many other States. Often regional representations also have to be kept in mind. To say that someone felt VOC, Velu Nachiyar, Bharathiar were insignificant
Read 7 tweets
Dec 5, 2021
For all those asking what is her legacy and if it is only corruption here is a thread
1.A belief in the idea of India.She put down separatist forces with a firm hand.Never compromised on National interest. TN cd hv been a troubled spot otherwise
2. No compromise on Social justice
69% reservation in the State got Consitutional protection due to her Govt.
3. No compromise on State Interests. Cauvery one example but many more. Even CM Stalin accepted this publicly
4.Commitment to secularism. Except for the brief attempt to push thru anti conversion
Bill she never allowed communal forces of any community,space in the State
5. One of the very few CMs who tried to rein in Govt employee Unions. She failed but at least tried.
6. Welfare schemes. So many of them emulated across the country. Cycle, Laptop, Amma Canteens, Water,
Read 8 tweets

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