'She cried, asked about her father's killing', Nalini Sriharan recounts 2008 meet with Priyanka Gandhi in prison

Nalini Sriharan, one of the six convicts freed in former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination case met Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in prison in 2008. Talking about their interaction back then, Sriharan said she was asked about the killing of her father by daughter Priyanka. Sriharan also said that Priyanka had turned emotional and cried when she met her in the Vellore Central Prison over a decade ago.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Sriharan said, “Priyanka Gandhi met me in jail and she asked me about her father’s killing. She got emotional for her father. She cried too.”

Sriharan is the longest-serving woman prisoner who served a life sentence. She was released from the Vellore jail on Saturday following an order from the Supreme Court on Friday, freeing all six convicts, including RP Ravichandran.

Sriharan also said that she is thankful to the Gandhi family for her release, and expressed a desire to meet them. Other things that transpired in the meeting with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra cannot be disclosed as it pertained to Priyanka’s personal views, she said.

During a press conference, Sriharan further urged the Tamil Nadu government to take the necessary actions to release her husband as soon as possible from the Trichy Special camp.

“On Monday I am going to meet my husband at Trichy Special camp. We got married and we have a child who lives aboard. My daughter is so excited to meet her father. I really want to go and see a few places in Tamil Nadu mainly the late Kamala Sir Memorial. I can’t meet my husband yet so am not happy at present.”

Recounting her days in jail she said that the convicts were treated in jail like death convicts and even though she was two months pregnant she was locked inside the prison.

“We have been treated in jail like death convicts. Even when I was two months pregnant, they locked me inside the prison,” Sriharan said. Talking about her future plans, she said, “Family will be my priority and I am not going to do anything professional. My whole life is totally destroyed already so I am going to take care of the family,” she added.