Hashtag #StandWithArputhamAmmal is trending in twitter seeking justice for A.G Perarivalan who is a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. He is on life imprisonment along with Murugan and Santhan who were other two convicts of the same case. Today, he completes 30 years of his jail sentence, result of which many twitter users, especially influential filmmakers of Tamil cinema such as Karthik Subbaraj, Cheran, Pa. Ranjith are stretching their supportive hand to the mother of Perarivalan who is constantly protesting to make the government release her son.

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Perarivalan was 19 when he was arrested in the year 1991. He was accused of having bought two battery cells for Sivarasan, the LTTE man who masterminded the conspiracy, and which were used in the bomb that killed Rajiv gandhi. Perarivalan was remained on death row for 23 years. On February 18, 2014, a Supreme court bench of Chief Justice and justices commuted the death sentences of Perarivalan and two other convicts, Murugan and Santhan, into imprisonment for life.

What strengthened Perarivalan’s claim of innocence was an admission in November 13 by V Thyagarajan, a retired CBI SP, that he had altered Perarivalan’s statement in custody to make it read like a confession, which eventually played a crucial role in getting Perarivalan the maximum punishment.

Thyagarajan, who had recorded the statements of Perarivalan and other two accused in 1991, said that while Perarivalan had accepted that he had supplied the batteries, he had not said that he was aware that those batteries would be used to make the bomb. In 2018, When Rahul Gandhi, son of Rajiv Gandhi met director Pa.Ranjith, the Congress leader said that he has objection in releasing Perarivalan. In Kuala Lumpur on March 10, Rahul said that he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi had “completely forgiven” their father’s killers.

Now, on this day of the 30 years of imprisonment of Perarivalan, a tweet surfaced in the twitter account of Arputham Ammal, mother of Perarivalan. “It was us who made him surrender. By keeping him in custody for 8 long days illegally, they came up with a story saying that they rounded him up and arrested in Vepery. Injustice started then and still continues to take place” her tweet said.

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ஜுன்-11, 30வது ஆண்டு தொடங்கிடுச்சு. விசாரிச்சுட்டு காலை அனுப்பிடறோம்னு இதே நாள் இரவு 10.30க்கு கூட்டிட்டு போனாங்க. புள்ளைய நாங்கதான் ஒப்படைச்சோம். 8 நாள் சட்டவிரோதமா வச்சிருந்துட்டு; வேப்பேரியில சுத்திவளைச்சு பிடிச்சதா கதை சொன்னாங்க. அங்க ஆரம்பிச்ச அநீதி இன்னும் முடியல. விடியல ! pic.twitter.com/QrdfLXagPM

— Arputham Ammal (@ArputhamAmmal) June 11, 2020

Many tamil filmmakers and public people demanded the release of Perarivalan through their tweets.

Karthik Subbaraj

It's 30 YEARS since Perarivalan was taken to Jail for a Crime he didn't commit…

30 years of a mother's struggle for Justice still unanswered… It's high time he is released..

RELEASE PERARIVALAN 🙏#StandwithArputhamAmmal pic.twitter.com/IRMiCylVoW

— karthik subbaraj (@karthiksubbaraj) June 11, 2020

Pa Ranjith

#StandwithArputhamAmmal raise your voice for #ReleasePerarivalan https://t.co/pMem7aQLiR pic.twitter.com/OeXoVF35gi

— pa.ranjith (@beemji) June 11, 2020

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Cheran

நிரூபிக்கப்படாத அல்லது உடன் இருந்த குற்றத்திற்காக 30 வருடம் சிறைத்தண்டனை… இந்திய வரலாற்றில் இது அழிக்க முடியாத கறைதான்… #StandwithArputhamAmmal https://t.co/8tkrLU05Jh

— Cheran (@directorcheran) June 11, 2020

Independent Filmmaker Leela Manimekalai

Three decades of painful battle to free her innocent son.

Let's #StandWithArputhamAmmal and fight with her to #ReleasePerarivalan.

Twitter campaign on 11th of June, the day they took him away for custody.@ArputhamAmmal@ReleaseArivu pic.twitter.com/zqymfOZyYS

— Leena Manimekalai (@LeenaManimekali) June 8, 2020

Ranjith Jayakodi

It has been 30yrs today #StandwithArputhamAmmal pic.twitter.com/9IE48FxImx

— 𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐢𝐭 𝐉𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐝𝐢 (@jeranjit) June 11, 2020

Moodar Koodam Naveen

அண்ணன் பேரறிவாளன் குற்றமற்றவர் என்று விசாரனை அதிகாரி ஒப்புக்கொண்டார். நிரபராதிக்கு நீதி தேவை. எழுவர் விடுதலை தேவை#StandWithArputhamAmmal

— Naveen Mohamedali (@NaveenFilmmaker) June 11, 2020