On the eve of the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord , Rajiv Gandhi was assaulted by Leading Rate Vijitha Rohana at the Guard of Honour held for Gandhi in what seemed an attempted assassination . Four years later , in 1991 , Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber . This radically reduced support for the LTTE within India . In 2009 , 19 years after his assassination , the Sri Lankan army mounted a major military offensive in the north and eradicated the LTTE . The operation was not opposed by India and received Indian diplomatic and military support , despite condemnations from state of Tamil Nadu and Western nations for alleged human rights violations . Rajiv Gandhi 's widow , Sonia Gandhi was the chairperson of India 's ruling coalition at the time
assassinated
Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
Indo-Sri Lanka Accord