Mahattaya
{{Short description|Tamil militant (1956–1994)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{refimprove|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = 1956
| birth_place = Point Pedro, Ceylon
| death_date = 28 December {{death year and age|1994|1956}}
| death_place = Sri Lanka
| death_cause = Executed by the LTTE
| nationality = Sri Lankan
| other_names = Mahattaya
| known_for = High treason
Death of Col Kittu
| occupation = Tamil Militant
}}
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.{{cite web | url=http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/51557 | title="My Husband Was Not a Traitor" Says Ex-LTTE Deputy Leader Gopalaswamy Mahendrarajah alias "Mahathaya"'s Wife Yogeshwari. | publisher=dbsjeyaraj | work=Sulochana Ramiah Mohan | date=23 February 2017 | accessdate=10 June 2021}}{{cite web | url=https://sangam.org/sri-lanka-the-untold-story-chapter-56/ | title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 56 | publisher=Sangam | work=K T Rajasingham | accessdate=10 June 2021}}{{cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/a-lieutenant-who-turned-into-a-mole/article21043224.ece | title=A lieutenant who turned into a 'mole' | publisher=The Hindu | work=B. Kolappan | date=29 November 2017 | accessdate=10 June 2021| last1=Kolappan | first1=B. }}
Personal life
Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja was related to Velupillai Prabhakaran, former LTTE leader. He was born in Point Pedro.{{fact|date=July 2020}}
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.{{fact|date=July 2020}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://sangam.org/sri-lanka-the-untold-story-chapter-48/|title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 48 – Ilankai Tamil Sangam}} 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.{{Cite book |last=Munasinghe |first=Sarath |title=A Soldier's Version : An Account of the On-going Conflict and the Origin of Terrorism in Sri Lanka |publisher=University of Michigan |year=2000 |isbn=9789559713005 |edition=1st |location=Colombo |pages=174}} He was executed on December 28, 1994, by the LTTE.{{fact|date=July 2020}}
Further reading
- {{Cite magazine|title=Sri Lanka: Mahattaya case exposes dissensions in the LTTE|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/neighbours/story/19940131-sri-lanka-mahattaya-case-exposes-dissensions-in-the-ltte-808779-1994-01-31|author=P. Jayaram|date=1994-01-31|magazine=India Today}}
- {{Cite news|title=A lieutenant who turned into a 'mole'|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/a-lieutenant-who-turned-into-a-mole/article21043224.ece|date=29 November 2017|author=B. Kolappan|newspaper=The Hindu}}
- {{Cite book|title=The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5mclDwAAQBAJ|year=2016|first=Neena|last=Gopal|publisher=Penguin India|isbn=9789386495549}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20021025020427/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/DI07Df01.html Asia Times]
- {{Cite web|title=Former LTTE No. 2 Mahattaya was RAW Agent: Book|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/former-ltte-no-2-mahattaya-was-raw-agent-book-1281789.html|date=August 15, 2016|via=IANS|website=News18}}
{{Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahendraraja, Gopalaswamy}}
Category:Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members
Category:Sri Lankan Tamil rebels
Category:Sri Lankan Tamil people
Category:Assassinated Sri Lankan people
Category:People killed during the Sri Lankan civil war
Category:Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
Category:Research and Analysis Wing
Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force
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