Probe still not complete even after 27 yrs of Rajiv Gandhi's death

As the nation today paid tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary, the investigation in the assassination of the former Prime Minister is still on, 27 years after his ghastly killing.

The status of ongoing investigation by the CBI-led Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), probing the larger conspiracy aspect behind the assassination, was shared with the Supreme Court which had in March asked the Centre to place before it the steps which were required to be taken to brought it to an end as "expeditiously as possible".

The MDMA had informed a bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi that the probe into the case was "still open" and Letters Rogatory have been issued to different countries, including Sri Lanka, where some persons required to be investigated were currently residing.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at a poll rally. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed in the explosion.

Gandhi's assassination was perhaps the first case of suicide bombing globally, which had claimed the life of a high-profile leader.

The MDMA, set up in 1998 on the recommendations of Justice M C Jain Commission of Inquiry which had probed the conspiracy aspect of Gandhi's assassination, is headed by a CBI official and comprises officers from IB, RAW and Revenue Intelligence and other agencies.

"The Union of India is directed to place before the court the steps that have been taken and those that can be initiated, through the diplomatic channels, to ensure that investigation withregardtotheissueoflargerconspiracyis brought to an end as expeditiouslyaspossible," the apex court had said on March 14.

The top court had asked the MDMA to file a status report within four weeks with regard to the status of a Letter Rogatory sent to Sri Lanka for examining one of the suspects, Nixon alias Suren, who is lodged in Colombo jail.

Nixon was reportedly a member of LTTE's intelligence wing, who manned a