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The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case Season 1 Review: A gripping procedural that unfolds with precision and pace

The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case Season 1 Review: A gripping procedural that unfolds with precision and pace

Time of India4 days ago
Story: This investigative drama follows a team of CBI officers as they pursue the assassination case of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, tracing the events leading up to and following the tragic suicide bombing at a public rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on 21 May 1991.
Review: 'The difficult is possible. The impossible will take a little longer,' declares the IGP D R Karthikeyan (Amit Sial), capturing the essence of the show, as he embarks on a nerve-wracking 90-day mission of solving the Late Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case. Adapted from investigative journalist Anirudhya Mitra's book Ninety Days, this thriller offers a blow-by-blow account of the CBI's Special Investigation Team (SIT) as it cracks the assassination plot, nabs the culprits, and hunts down the mastermind, Sivarasan (Shafeeq Mustafa), to his final hideout.
Co-written by Nagesh Kukunoor (also the director), Rohit Banawalikar, and Sriram Rajan, the series is a tightly crafted and well-narrated thriller chronicling the assassination that shook the nation and the relentless manhunt that followed. The CBI team features some of its sharpest minds: DIG Amod Kant (Danish Iqbal), who previously solved Indira Gandhi's assassination case; DIG Raju (Girish Sharma), an expert in handling Jammu & Kashmir militants; DSP Raghothaman (Bagavathi Perumal), the agency's best interrogator; and SPI Amit Verma (Sahil Vaid), who tracked down General Arun Vaidya's assassin and Khalistani terrorist, Jinda.
The narrative shines in showing how this team pieces the puzzle together and leverages its network to track down LTTE operatives—renowned for their cunning warfare tactics—despite widespread public sympathy for the group. The battle between two equally formidable forces plays out in gripping fashion, keeping viewers hooked throughout.
Kukunoor also succeeds in juxtaposing his characters' intense and everyday moments. The feared militant Sivarasan and his aide Subha (Gouri Padmakumar) enjoy a Rajinikanth film; Subha paints her nails while guarding their hideout with a rifle; Amit and Raghothaman share a meal at a dhaba, exchanging thoughts on North Indian vs South Indian food just before meeting an informant. The sharp yet grounded Amod Kant speaks of luck's role in investigations, and the viewer is reminded that the derelict building allotted to the SIT was considered cursed—no occupant had ever succeeded from it. These scenes are seamlessly woven into the narrative.
Despite the backdrop of cross-border politics and complex socio-political layers, the focus remains firmly on the core investigation. However, the absence of a contextual setup about the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) and Rajiv Gandhi's involvement may leave viewers unfamiliar with the background seeking answers. Still, the series effectively captures the psychological warfare and strategic depth that ultimately enables the team to break even the most hardened LTTE Tiger.
The show's layered storytelling touches upon themes such as how one person's hero can be another's terrorist, and how officers often commit to their duty, even when it conflicts with their personal beliefs. The narrative momentarily loses pace after the fifth of seven episodes as keeping track of LTTE operatives gets cumbersome and confusing. However, in the final 36 hours, the tension and frustration due to bureaucratic red tape peak, driving the thrill to a crescendo.
Cinematographer Sangram Giri authentically captures the Tamil Nadu of the 1990s, while Tapas Relia's music complements the mood perfectly. The casting is pitch-perfect—Amit Sial, Bagavathi Perumal, Sahil Vaid, and Danish Iqbal bring their CBI characters to life with conviction, as does Vidyuth Gargi as the commando. Shafeeq Mustafa as the cold, arrogant Sivarasan, and Gouri Padmakumar as the fierce but quiet Subha, both leave a lasting impression.
The series proves that a gripping narrative doesn't require non-stop action to deliver edge-of-the-seat thrills. This is a binge-worthy, taut thriller that keeps you watching.
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Bank balance of Rs. 14.06 crore, 2 houses, 7 apartments: ED attaches retired Haryana IAS officers' assets
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Indian Express

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  • Indian Express

Bank balance of Rs. 14.06 crore, 2 houses, 7 apartments: ED attaches retired Haryana IAS officers' assets

The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached assets of Haryana cadre retired IAS officer Murari Lal Tayal in an ongoing investigation against him and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The total assets provisionally attached are worth several crores, including two houses and seven apartments located in Chandigarh, New Delhi, and Gurgaon, as well as a bank balance of approximately Rs. 14.06 crore. ED took this action on June 30, but made an official announcement about it on its social media platforms Monday. The Central agency is conducting an investigation against Tayal and others in the matter of disproportionate assets allegedly amassed by Tayal while he was serving as the principal secretary to the then-Haryana chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and during Tayal's tenure as a member of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). From March 6, 2005, to October 31, 2009, Tayal served as PS/CM and from November 30, 2009, till December 31, 2014, he served as a member of CCI. ED had taken over the investigation in the case based on the First Information Reports (FIRs) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation. In its FIR, CBI alleged that from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2014, Tayal had amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. ED had been investigating the financial records of Tayal, his wife, Savita Tayal, and son, Kartik Tayal, including their Income Tax returns and other financial transactions. CBI registered the first FIR on August 12, 2015, regarding alleged irregularities related to land acquisition in Manesar. Based on the investigations conducted by CBI in the first FIR, the investigating agency registered a second FIR in 2017 against Tayal, pertaining to his alleged disproportionate assets. Savita Tayal retired as the principal of a government college in 2012, and was appointed as a member of the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC). She retired from HPSC in 2016.

Cash at HC judge's home: VP for probe
Cash at HC judge's home: VP for probe

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  • Time of India

Cash at HC judge's home: VP for probe

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In action against Bhupinder Hooda's former principal secretary, ED attaches 9 houses, bank accounts worth Rs 14cr
In action against Bhupinder Hooda's former principal secretary, ED attaches 9 houses, bank accounts worth Rs 14cr

Time of India

time7 hours ago

  • Time of India

In action against Bhupinder Hooda's former principal secretary, ED attaches 9 houses, bank accounts worth Rs 14cr

Chandigarh: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Monday provisionally attached nine houses and apartments, and bank accounts with balances worth Rs 14.06 crore, linked to former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda's former principal secretary Murari Lal Tayal, his wife, and family members. The move comes even as the trial against Tayal, known as a confidant of Hooda, is yet to start. The attachment orders are based on investigations carried out by ED in a case linked to corruption and amassing assets disproportionate to known sources of income during Tayal's service as a bureaucrat in Haryana. The provisional attachments have been carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 by ED's Chandigarh zone office. The nine immovable properties include two houses and seven apartments in Chandigarh, New Delhi, and Gurgaon. An FIR registered by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) wing of CBI alleged that former IAS officer Tayal and his family members amassed assets disproportionate to his income from Jan 2006 to Dec 31, 2014. Tayal served as principal secretary to the then chief minister of Haryana from March 6, 2005, to Oct 31, 2009, and as a member of the Competition Commission of India from Nov 30, 2009, to Dec 31, 2014. Pursuant to this, ED investigated the financial affairs, income tax records, and stock market dealings of Tayal and his wife, Savita Tayal, who also served as a member of HPSC during the Congress govt, and their son, Kartik Tayal. The ED investigation revealed that from Jan 1, 2006, to Dec 31, 2014, the accused acquired disproportionate assets worth Rs 14.06 crore while using the proceeds of crime (PoC) generated through illegal gratification. Last year, CBI filed a voluminous chargesheet against the accused, and the trial could not be advanced as the agency did not get permission for prosecution of the officer from the depart of personnel and training, as well as the govt of Haryana. During the Bhupinder Hooda-led Congress govt, Tayal enjoyed plum postings in Haryana as well as the Centre.

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