Assassinations

The Tamil Tigers were responsible for more than 24 political assassinations. Two majors deaths are as follows:

• The first major assassination was the murder of the 7th Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. He was assassinated by an LTTE female suicide bomber, named Thenmozhi Rajaratnam. She met Rajiv at a public meeting, and bent down to touch his feet (a sign of respect amongst Indians). At this point, her explosive belt (which was hidden under her dress), set off an explosion, killing many. He was killed on May 21st, 1991.
• The second major assassination was the murder of the Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa. He, like Rajiv, was killed by a suicide bomber too. He was killed during a May day rally, on May 1st, 1993.