Woman Cop Who Survived Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Joins Congress

Anusuya Daisy Ernest, a retired police officer, joined the Congress on 14 September.

Anusuya Daisy Ernest (extreme left), now a retired police officer, was one among the few who managed to survive the Rajiv Gandhi assassination in 1991.

(Photo: The Quint)

On the night of 21 May 1991 when a ‘human bomb’ detonated, killing India’s then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Anusuya Daisy Ernest never thought she would survive the blast. 29 years later, the retired police officer has joined the Congress in Chennai.

“I want to be part of a party that has contributed to many leaders who have fought for the freedom of the country,” she told The Quint, days after joining the Congress on 14 September.

She was serving as a sub-inspector until 2019 and recently retired from the police force.

Anusuya participating in a protest with local Congress workers in Chennai.(Photo: The Quint)

Surviving a Terror Attack

The memory of the fateful night in Sriperumbudur is still fresh in her mind.

Anusuya was standing to the right of Gandhi that day, seconds before the LTTE suicide bomber set off the blast killing the then prime minister and 15 others, including a superintendent of police.

While she survived the blast, she lost two fingers on her left hand.

“When I was lying down in bed those many years ago, with burns all over, I identified those men. What wrong did I do? What did those 18 others do, who died in the blast, to deserve this end? How is their actions justified?”

Anusuya Daisy Ernest, Retired Police Officer 

She told The Quint that she never planned on entering politics but now wants to pursue this interest and tell the youth her story of survival.

Entry into Politics

Anusuya wanted to join a party that has contributed greatly to the freedom struggle.(Photo: The Quint)

Anusuya has been vocal about her opposition to the Tamil Nadu government’s decision to release the seven life convicts in the assassination case.

“I joined the party to get justice. Media is focussing on different people petitioning to release convicts. I was there when it happened and survived. I will be the voice for all those who were affected by the incident and this would serve as a good platform to tell people about the brutal assassination,” she told The Quint.