In the aftermath of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in Tamil Nadu in May 1991 there were massive arrests of Tamils (BBC Summary 28 May 1991; Ibid. 5 June 1991). The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lanka-based group fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka, has been implicated in the assassination of the former Indian prime minister (Reuters 19 Sep. 1992; Asiaweek 21 Jun. 1991, 32).

Indian and Sri Lankan Tamils are ethnically related (Inter Press Service 20 Aug. 1991) and the LTTE enjoys considerable support in Tamil Nadu (Reuters 19 Sep. 1992). Although its activities have been focused mainly on Sri Lanka, the LTTE has also advocated independence for Tamil Nadu (Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation International Service 20 Dec. 1992)

Several thousand Tamils, Sri Lankan and Indian, were arrested on grounds of preventive custody or various specific charges in the week after Gandhi's assassination; however most were later released (BBC Summary 28 May 1991; Ibid. 5 June 1991). In September 1992, Reuters reported that 29 Indian and Sri Lankan Tamils were on trial for the murder of the former prime minister (Reuters 19 Sep. 1992).

The crackdown on the LTTE and its supporters, which began after the assassination, continued in September 1991 when more than 100 people were arrested for allegedly supporting the LTTE (AFP 20 Sep. 1991).

On 14 May 1992, the Indian government banned the LTTE from operating in India, claiming that it was participating in militant activities and had recruited Tamil youth, forcing them to join the Tamil National Retrieval Troops, an organization established to fight for independence of Tamil Nadu (All India Radio Network 14 May 1992). The ban was upheld by an Indian government tribunal in November 1992 (Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation International Service 20 Dec. 1992).

In September 1992, a Tamil conference was held in Tamil Nadu which resolved to call for self-determination and advocated support of the LTTE (Reuters 19 Sep. 1992). Following the conference, a police crackdown on separatism resulted in more than 4,000 arrests (Ibid.). Among those arrested were 16 political leaders charged with sedition (Ibid.).

In an unrelated incident, anti-Tamil sentiment flared-up in the state of Karnataka in December 1991 (AFP 16 Dec. 1991). The incident began with disagreements over sharing the waters of the Cauvery River between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (The New York Times 5 Jan. 1992; Country Reports 1991 1992, 1397). The incident reportedly turned into a protest against outsiders and resulted in attacks on Tamils, their homes and businesses (The New York Times 5 Jan. 1992; Tamil Nation 15 May 1992, 9). In the aftermath of the riots, more than 15,000 Tamils are reported to have fled Karnataka (The New York Times 5 Jan. 1992).

Additional or corroborative information on the treatment of Indian Tamils is currently unavailable to the DIRB.

References

Agence France Presse (AFP). 16 December 1991. "India Sends Troops to Quash Anti-Tamil Violence." (NEXIS)

. 20 September 1991. "More than 100 Indians Arrested for Supporting Sri Lankan Tamils." (NEXIS)
All India Radio Network [Delhi, in English]. 14 May 1992. "LTTE Banned: 'Indulging in Terrorist Activities'." (FBIS-NES-92-095 15 May 1992, p. 41)
Asiaweek [Hong Kong]. 21 June 1991. "Investigations: Hunting the One-Eyed Tiger."
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 5 June 1991. "Tamil Nadu Releases Those Arrested After Gandhi Murder." (NEXIS)
. 28 May 1991. "Seven Thousand Arrests in Tamil Nadu." (NEXIS)
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1991. 1992. U.S. Department of State. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. Inter Press Service. 20 August 1991. "India: Gandhi's Killers Evade Capture by Committing Suicide." (NEXIS)
The New York Times. 5 January 1992. Sanjoy Hazarika. "Tamils Are Target of Riots in Southern India." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 19 September 1992. PM Cycle. P.K. Balachandran. "Indian Police Arrest More Tamils, Total Tops 4,000." (NEXIS)
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation International Service [Colombo, in English]. 20 December 1992. "Government Tribunal Upholds Ban on LTTE." (FBIS-NES-92-246 22 Dec. 1992, p. 52)
Tamil Nation. 15 May 1992. [Croydon, Surrey U.K.]. 15 May 1992. "Distress Begins to Bind Us Together."
Attachments Agence France Presse (AFP). 16 December 1991. "India Sends Troops to Quash Anti-Tamil Violence." (NEXIS)
. 20 September 1991. "More than 100 Indians Arrested for Supporting Sri Lankan Tamils." (NEXIS)
All India Radio Network [Delhi, in English]. 14 May 1992. "LTTE Banned: 'Indulging in Terrorist Activities'." (FBIS-NES-92-095 15 May 1992, p. 41)
Asiaweek [Hong Kong]. 21 June 1991. "Investigations: Hunting the One-Eyed Tiger."
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts. 5 June 1991. "Tamil Nadu Releases Those Arrested After Gandhi Murder." (NEXIS)
. 28 May 1991. "Seven Thousand Arrests in Tamil Nadu." (NEXIS)
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1991. 1992. U.S. Department of State. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Inter Press Service. 20 August 1991. "India: Gandhi's Killers Evade Capture by Committing Suicide." (NEXIS)
The New York Times. 5 January 1992. Sanjoy Hazarika. "Tamils Are Target of Riots in Southern India." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 19 September 1992. PM Cycle. P.K. Balachandran. "Indian Police Arrest More Tamils, Total Tops 4,000." (NEXIS)
Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation International Service [Colombo, in English]. 20 December 1992. "Government Tribunal Upholds Ban on LTTE." (FBIS-NES-92-246 22 Dec. 1992, p. 52)
Tamil Nation. 15 May 1992. [Croydon, Surrey U.K.]. 15 May 1992. "Distress Begins to Bind Us Together."