'It was a sad commentary on the pace at which everything proceeds in India'

Executive Editor Prabhu Chawla (left) with Justice M.C. JainIn July, when I was in Poonamallee to appear before the special court hearing the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case for an article published in INDIA TODAY, I visited Sriperumbudur, about 40 km away. I was surprised to find that even after six years the memorial coming up at the spot where he was so brutally killed in May 1991 was far from complete.It was a sad commentary on the pace at which everything proceeds in India. Even the Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice M.C. Jain, which is going into whether there was a larger conspiracy to assassinate Rajiv, submitted its interim report just two months ago. Despite the passage of years, the conspiracy question remains an emotive and politically explosive one. That's why the United Front Government has so far not made public Justice Jain's report. Only under pressure from the Congress, did it recently commit to do so during the Parliament session beginning November 19.So when Executive Editor Prabhu Chawla, tapping his vast network of sources, gained access to the Commission's report we knew we had an exclusive with major political ramifications. Chawla, 51, an award-winning journalist, has built his reputation with such investigative reports. He started his career in 1977 with INDIA TODAY and when he left in 1991, the list of his exposes included mail censorship by the Central Government, the liquor scam in Tamil Nadu and jail deaths in the same state. .preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Chawla, who rejoined the magazine last year, is sombre about his latest journalistic coup and says: "It is adrenalin-pumping to be the first out with a story, but it is sobering when you think of the likely political impact." It is ironical that even in his death Rajiv casts a shadow on the stability of the present Government.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Nov 17, 1997--- ENDS ---

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'It was a sad commentary on the pace at which everything proceeds in India'

In July, when I was in Poonamallee to appear before the special court hearing the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case for an article published in INDIA TODAY, I visited Sriperumbudur, about 40 km away.

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