Arputham Ammal, the mother of A.G. Periarivalan, who was imprisoned for over 31 years over his alleged role in the 1991 Rajiv Gandhi assassination, was celebrated at a function in Tamil Nadu earlier this month, where she was praised for her resilience.

Periarivalan was finally freed from prison earlier this year, following a long legal battle led chiefly by Arputham Ammal.

He was 19 years old when he was arrested in 1991 and was arrested along with others who were suspected of playing a role in Gandhi’s assassination. Six others continue to languish in prison on a life sentence. Perarivalan was initially awarded a death penalty in 1998 but it was later commuted to a life sentence in 2014 on account of the delay in deciding their mercy petitions.

Arputham Ammal thanked the “people cutting across party lines came together to support the release of Perarivalan” at the event in Coimbatore. She also called for a continuation of the “legal battle till all the six others related to the case, who are in prison, get released.”

She was gifted a portrait of Velupillai Prabhakaran, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which had the words “Tamil Eelam national leader” emblazoned across it.

Repressentatives of the Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, Dravida Viduthalai Kazhagam, Naam Tamilar Katchi, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Athi Thamizhar Peravai and other political organisations were all present.