Intelligence sleuths add to nervousness of trio

VELLORE: Barely two days after the Vellore prison received a formal communication from the government on the September 9 date for awarding capital punishment to three convicts in the Rajiv assassination case, sleuths from the intelligence and vigilance departments have started crawling all over the place, making the trio more edgy.Advocate Rajiv Gandhi, who met the trio on behalf of their counsel Thada Chandrasekar on Sunday to get their signs on the affidavit through which they will appeal for mercy to CM J Jayalalithaa, said it is usual for convicts on death row to be carefully watched to avert the possibility of suicide. But that is usually done by jail officers, not sleuths, he said. The trio are now in separate 10x10 cells. For the past two days, around 20 officials plonked themselves in front of their cells. The trio, especially Perarivalan, see that as torture and have petitioned the superintendent, he said.Meanwhile, security has been stepped up at the prison. Since it has no ‘hangman’, the process of selecting an official to conduct the execution is also underway.