COLOMBO, Nov. 13, Reuter: A Sri Lankan Honor Guard Member who hit Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with a rifle butt in July said in court he had not tried to kill the Indian leader, but despised him because of Indian help for Tamil guerrillas.
“| only wanted to insult him, I had absolutely no intention of killing him, If Thad wanted to kill him I would have stabbed him with the bayonet,” Naval Rating Vijitha Rohana told the court on Thursday.
Rohana is charged with attempted murder and breaching navy discipline by hitting Gandhi on July 30 while a member of a military guard of honor for the Indian leader. Gandhi had just signed a pact with Sri Lanka to end four years of ethnic bloodshed on the island.
Rohana, 2 22yearold Sinhalese, said he was angered by re~ ports of Indian help for Tamil guerrillas fighting for a separate state the north and east Sri Lanka.
‘Verbatim accounts of Rohana’s testimony were published by Sri Lankan newspapers on Friday, the day after Parliament passed legislation to give Tamils limited autonomy in the north and east. The plan is opposed by hardline members of the Sinhalese majority, who say it will split the country and turn Sri Lanka into a pawn of India.
Rohana said that as Gandhi inspected the honor guard he was reminded of the money, arms and military training India had given the Tamil guerrilla.
‘As Gandhi came within two steps of him, “I felt an emotion. 1 despised the Indian Prime Minister”, he said.
“I aimed a blow with my rifle at Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s back, below the shoulder but I felt I did not hit him because Mr. Gandhi continued 10 walk forward”, he said. The Indian government said at the time Gandhi ‘was hit on the shoulder.
Asked if he wanted to hurt him or kill him, Rohana said: “I had no intention of killing him. I only ‘wanted to insult him. If | had a broomstick I would have hit him with a broomstick”.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 20, 1987
