Before You Watch “The Hunt” On SonyLIV: Real Facts Behind Rajiv Gandhi’s Assassination You Should Know

Sunday, July 13, 2025, 19:40

With SonyLIV's new political thriller, The Hunt: The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, streaming from July 4, 2025, viewers are revisiting one of the most tragic and defining moments in Indian history. Directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, this seven-part series picks apart the chilling assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the intense 90-day manhunt that followed.

But before you press Play, here are the essential facts to know-shaping both your understanding and emotional connection to the story.

1. The Fatal Rally In Sriperumbudur (21 May 1991)

On a warm evening in Tamil Nadu, Rajiv Gandhi arrived at a rally in Sriperumbudur to campaign for the 1991 elections. At around 10:10 PM, Thenmozhi Rajaratnam (Dhanu) hid an RDX-laden belt under her dress. After offering a garland and bending to touch his feet, she detonated the bomb-killing Gandhi and at least 18 others, including herself.

The explosion, captured on film by local photographer Haribabu (who also died in the blast), remains one of the most haunting images in Indian media.

2. The LTTE Link And Motive

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-a militant Tamil guerrilla outfit-claimed responsibility. The assassination was a calculated retaliation against Rajiv Gandhi's decision to send the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka in 1987-90. Investigations confirmed a cross-border conspiracy orchestrated by LTTE operatives with local Indian accomplices.

3. The Intense 90-Day Manhunt

Within 24 hours, the CBI and Special Investigation Team (SIT) took charge of the probe. A nationwide hunt ensued, uncovering an LTTE sleeper cell, lairs in Chennai and Bengaluru, and intricate terrorist planning. The Hunt dramatizes these investigations with realistic detail-portraying forensic breakthroughs, intelligence dead-ends, and political pressures.

4. Convictions, Death Penalties And Later Releases

In 1998, a TADA court sentenced 26 accused, including Dhanu, to death. The Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of four-Nalini Sriharan, Murugan, Perarivalan, and Santhan-and commuted others to life imprisonment.

In 2022, the Supreme Court controversially released all six remaining convicts under Article 142-an order that remains highly debated.

5. Forensic Insights And The Bomb Design

Post-blast forensics revealed the bomb contained 700 grams of RDX with metal pellets, ignited by an electric detonator and battery belt-indicative of high-level planning and lethal intent.

6. Political And Emotional Fallout

Rajiv Gandhi's assassination triggered immediate national trauma. A massive sympathy wave lifted Congress to a minority win in 1991, while also reinforcing hardline narratives in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. The tragedy also repositioned India's LTTE policy and opened debates on internal militancy, Tamil identity, and diplomatic aggression.

Why "The Hunt" Matters In 2025

The Hunt isn't just a thriller-it's a reflection on intelligence failures, media influence, and unresolved political tensions that still echo today. The cast, led by Amit Sial as D. R. Karthikeyan, and supporting roles by Sahil Vaid, Bhagavathi Perumal, Danish Iqbal, Girish Sharma, and Vidyut Garg, bring emotional weight to the 90-day crisis.

Before You Watch: Context Tips

Be prepared for graphic scenes, emotional grief, and morally complex interrogations.
Keep in mind that the series is based on Anirudhya Mitra's book "Ninety Days", which offers journalistic retrospection.

The show also touches on political interference, media speculation, and the strains faced by investigators-all shaping narratives still relevant in India today.