Mahattaya

Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja
Born1956
Point Pedro, Ceylon
Died28 December 1994 (aged 37–38)
Sri Lanka
Cause of deathExecuted by the LTTE
NationalitySri Lankan
Other namesMahattaya
OccupationTamil Militant
Known forHigh treason
Death of Col Kittu

Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja (1956 – 28 December 1994), also known as Mahattaya was a member of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who was killed for leaking secrets to India's RAW.[1][2][3]

Personal life

Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja was related to Velupillai Prabhakaran, former LTTE leader. He was born in Point Pedro.[citation needed]

LTTE

Mahattaya joined the LTTE in 1978. In 1987 he became the deputy leader of the LTTE, and in 1989 he became the head of the short-lived People's Front of Liberation Tigers, a political party founded by the LTTE. Mahattaya was the person who was leading most of the attacks done by LTTE when Prabhakaran was in India until 1986. Mahattaya was sent to Jaffna by Prabhakaran to inquire into the conflict matters that arose between LTTE and the University of Jaffna, in 1986, when a university student Vijetharan was kidnapped and killed by the Kittu group. Prabhakaran returned to Jaffna at the end of 1986. Mahattaya was second-in-command in the LTTE, at one time.[citation needed]

Athira, accused 18 in Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case confessed that she was ordered to collect intelligence in Tamil Nadu and hand it over to Mahattaya.[4] Several investigative journalists proposed that Mahattaya might be the main Conspirator in Rajiv Gandhi Assassination, possibly worked as a mercenary.

Velupillai Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman found out that he was leaking information to India's RAW, which helped the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) destroy LTTE bases. Mahattaya group was famous for doing all well planned attacks. In 1993, the LTTE took him into custody.[5] He was executed on December 28, 1994, by the LTTE.[citation needed]

Further reading

  • P. Jayaram (31 January 1994). "Sri Lanka: Mahattaya case exposes dissensions in the LTTE". India Today.
  • B. Kolappan (29 November 2017). "A lieutenant who turned into a 'mole'". The Hindu.
  • Gopal, Neena (2016). The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Penguin India. ISBN 9789386495549.

References

  1. ^ ""My Husband Was Not a Traitor" Says Ex-LTTE Deputy Leader Gopalaswamy Mahendrarajah alias "Mahathaya"'s Wife Yogeshwari". Sulochana Ramiah Mohan. dbsjeyaraj. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 56". K T Rajasingham. Sangam. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  3. ^ Kolappan, B. (29 November 2017). "A lieutenant who turned into a 'mole'". B. Kolappan. The Hindu. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 48 – Ilankai Tamil Sangam".
  5. ^ Munasinghe, Sarath (2000). A Soldier's Version : An Account of the On-going Conflict and the Origin of Terrorism in Sri Lanka (1st ed.). Colombo: University of Michigan. p. 174. ISBN 9789559713005.


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