posted October 31, 2000 12:29 PM            

"Rajiv Gandhi was inspecting a guard of honour around 10.45 a.m. on 30th July, 1987. As he reached the last third segment of the front row of soldiers offering the Guard of Honour, one Naval rating lifted his rifle, holding the barrel in his hand and tried to hit Mr. Gandhi at the base of his neck. Mr. Rajiv Gandhi was alert enough to duck the blow and took the injuries on his shoulder. Security agency officials were there on a survey and all necessary precautions were taken by them and even fool proof arrangements were made...... My information is also that the Government of India undertook an inquiry on the incident. What is the result of the inquiry, I do not know. "

The reports of the Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW) into this incident indicated that the naval rating was identified as Wijaymuni Vijita Rohana. he was arrested and a case was registered against him. During the course of his interrogation, Rohana claimed that he had been highly incensed at the importance being given to LTTE leader Prabhakaran who had been responsible for killing innocent soldiers and civilians. In this context, he also held India's Prime Minister responsible for supplying weapons to the 'terrorists'.(Annexure-T-4 and T- 5)

2.7.1 After this attempt, the very next day, there was an anonymous call made at the Indian High Commission, Colombo. This has been narrated in Affidavit no. 60/92-JCI filed by Shri. J.N. Dixit, the then Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, as follows :-

(a) "On July 31, 1987 at about 1230 PM, First Secretary, High Commission of India, Colombo received an anonymous call from a male who spoke in English. The caller stated that `Nobody else in the world has hit Rajiv Gandhi in the neck so far. Next time we will kill him.' The caller then hung up the phone. This information was conveyed to the IB, R&AW and SPG."