Nadarajah Raviraj

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mayor of Jaffna
In office
9 January 2001 – 18 December 2001
Preceded byPon Sivapalan
Succeeded bySellan Kandaiyan
Personal details
Born(1962-06-25)25 June 1962
Died10 November 2006(2006-11-10) (aged 44)
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Other political
affiliations		Tamil National Alliance
ProfessionLawyer

Nadarajah Raviraj (

Mayor of Jaffna in 2001 and a Member of Parliament for Jaffna District from 2001 to 2006. A member of the Tamil National Alliance, he was shot dead on 10 November 2006 in Colombo
.

Early life and family

Raviraj was born 25 June 1962.[4][5] His family were from Chavakachcheri in northern Ceylon.[6] Both of his parents were teachers – his father taught at Chavakachcheri Hindu College and his mother taught at Chavakachcheri Hindu Ladies College.[6][7] Raviraj was educated at Chavakachcheri Hindu College, Drieberg College, Chavakachcheri and St. John's College, Jaffna.[5][7]

Raviraj was married to Sasikala, a teacher at Bishop's College, Colombo.[6][8] They had a daughter (Praveena) and son (Yuthishthran).[6][9]

Career

Raviraj became an

Attorney-General's Department between 1990 and 1993.[10] He rejoined Home for Human Rights in 1993, working for them until 1997.[7][8][10] He then started a private practice firm, Raviraj and Associates, which specialised in Prevention of Terrorism Act and Emergency Regulations cases.[5][7][8][10] Raviraj represented clients in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Courts in Ampara, Batticaloa, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Vavuniya and other cities.[8]

Raviraj was a member of the Civil Monitoring Committee which monitored

Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace and Interreligious International Peace Council in 2004.[5]

Politics

Raviraj joined the

Mayor of Jaffna Sarojini Yogeswaran was assassinated on 17 May 1998 and her successor Pon Sivapalan was assassinated on 11 September 1998.[6][11][12] Following the assassination of its mayoral nominee Pon Mathimugarajah on 26 December 1998, the TULF decided not to appoint a mayor which resulted in Raviraj, who was deputy mayor, becoming de facto mayor.[6][13]

Raviraj was appointed to the TULF politburo in 2000.[5][8] He contested the 2000 parliamentary election as one of the TULF's candidates in Jaffna District but failed to get elected.[6][7] On 9 January 2001 Raviraj was officially sworn in as Mayor of Jaffna.[6][14] He became the TULF's Administrative Secretary in 2001.[6]

On 20 October 2001 the

Velanaitivu when they were attacked by the Eelam People's Democratic Party, a government backed paramilitary group, as Sri Lanka Navy personnel looked on.[6][7][17] Two TNA activists were killed and several others, including Raviraj, were injured.[6][7][18] Raviraj was elected and entered Parliament.[19] He subsequently resigned as Mayor of Jaffna.[6] He was re-elected at the 2004 parliamentary election.[20]

Death

On 9 November 2006, Raviraj led a demonstration outside the

point blank range.[6][23] After firing an entire magazine the assassin ran back to the motorcycle which then sped off, turning into Martha Road.[6][23] The shoulder bag, with the T-56 inside, and the assassin's helmet were left at the roadside.[6][23] According to the police a rickshaw parked nearby also drove off after the shooting.[6][23] They believed that its driver had been a lookout who had tipped off the assassins about the location of Raviraj's vehicle using a mobile phone.[6][23]

Raviraj had been shot five times and Lokuwella eight times.

A9 highway.[23] Raviraj's funeral took place on 15 November 2006 at the Kannadipiddy cremation ground in Chavakachcheri.[23][27]

Raviraj's assassination received condemnation from around the world.

Douglas Devanananda denied any involvement in the assassination.[35]

A shadowy anti-LTTE group calling itself Seerum Padai (Aggressive Army) claimed responsibility for the assassination, saying that it was a "serious message to those who betray our homeland".[36][37][38]

Investigation

Raviraj's assassination took place in the heart of

police checkpoints.[6] Several government buildings including the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, the Registrar of Motor Vehicles Department and the headquarters of the Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police were close by.[6][23][39] According to the police many people witnessed the assassination and came forward to give information.[23] A suspect was arrested in Wellawatte on 12 November 2006 and based on information provided by him seven further suspects were arrested in Borella, Cinnamon Gardens, Narahenpita and Wellawatte.[23]

Detectives from the British

Metropolitan Police Service were brought in to investigate the assassination.[23][40] After initial reservations about the possibility that the suspects may face the death penalty, five British detectives arrived in Sri Lanka on 4 January 2007 to assist the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department (CID).[41][42] After sharing their expertise, the British detectives left Sri Lanka on 13 January 2007, taking some evidence for further forensic tests.[43][44]

The police investigation found that the motorcycle used in the assassination had been bought by Arul from brokers Nalaka Mathakadeera (Matagaweere) and Ravindra.[45] Arul had been living at the house of S. K. T. Jayasuriya.[45] Jayasuriya was former soldier, who had been dismissed from the army, who was now working as a private security officer for a former EPDP Member of Parliament who was living in Switzerland.[46] Mathakadeera and Jayasuriya were arrested but both were later released on bail when investigations revealed that they were not in Colombo at the time of the assassination.[45] Jayasuriya informed the police that Arul was a former member of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.[45] Arul was also a nephew of the former EPDP and was receiving protection from Jayasuriya.[46] Arrest warrants were issued for Arul and Ravindra whom the police suspected had fled to LTTE controlled territory.[45] The investigation stalled thereafter and no progress was made.[45]

Renewed investigation

Following the defeat of Rajapaksa at the

new government announced that it would re-investigate several unsolved high profile assassinations, including that of Raviraj, which occurred during Rajapaksa's nine-year reign.[47] Three navy personnel (Lt. Commander Munasinghe Aarachchige Don Nishantha Sampath Munasinghe, Lt. Commander Hettiarachchi Mudiyanselage Prasad Chandana Kumara Hettiarachchi alias Sampath and Petty Officer Deliwala Gedara Gamini Seneviratne alias Senevi) were arrested by the CID in March 2015 in connection with Raviraj's assassination.[48][49][50][51] A total of nine suspects were listed in connection with the assassination.[52] The rickshaw involved in the assassination was recovered by the CID in June 2015.[53] In November 2015 former soldier Nalaka Mathakadeera, J. L. Mahinda and Tennis Aruna Shantha Edirisinghe were arrested in connection with the assassination.[50]

In October 2015 The Sunday Leader identified Petty Officer Seneviratne as the assassin and claimed that the weapon used in the assassination had been handed to the Pillayan, leader of the TMVP paramilitary group, by Colonel Shammi Karunaratne of the army.[54] Pillayan then gave the weapon to Sivakanthan Vivekanandan alias Charan who then handed it to Seneviratne.[54]

On 3 November 2015 six people – three navy personnel (Pradeep Chaminda (Chandane) alias Vajira, Lieutenant Commander Hettiarachchi and Petty Officer Seneviratne), two Karuna Group/TMVP paramilitaries (Palanasami Suresh alias Sami and Sivakanthan Vivekanandan) and a police officer (Fabian Royston Toussaint) – were charged with Raviraj's murder.[55][56] A fourth navy personnel, Lieutenant Commander Munasinghe Arachchige Nilantha Sampath Munasinghe alias Navy Sampath, was charged in December 2015.[57] Three of the seven charged, Suresh, Toussaint and Vivekanandan, are not in custody.[57] Toussaint is believed to be running an eco-consultancy business, Eco Support Consulting, in Australia.[58] Vivekanandan is believed to be in Switzerland.[50]

Two suspects in the case, Nalaka Mathakadeera and Tennis Aruna Shantha Edirisinghe, were released by Colombo Additional Magistrate Nirosha Fernando on 8 December 2015.[59] Another suspect, former Police Constable Sampath Prithiviraj Wijeya Wickrema Manamperige Sanjaya Preethi Viraj, had turned state witness.[59][60]

Trial and acquittal

The trial of the six suspects (Chaminda, Hettiarachchi, Seneviratne, Suresh, Toussaint and Vivekanandan) began on 7 September 2016 at Colombo High Court in front of Judge Manilal Waidyatilaka.

Sinhala speakers.[62][63] This was despite objections from lawyers representing Raviraj's family.[64][65][66] Police Constable Viraj, the state witness, was released on 22 December 2016.[67][68] On 24 December 2016 the all Sinhala jury unanimously acquitted all five defendants who were subsequently released.[69][70][71] In an unusual move, the verdict came shortly after midnight.[72][73]

Electoral history

Electoral history of Nadarajah Raviraj
Election Constituency Party Votes Result
1998 local
 Jaffna MC TULF Elected
2000 parliamentary Jaffna District TULF Not elected
2001 parliamentary[19] Jaffna District TNA 19,263 Elected
2004 parliamentary[20] Jaffna District TNA 42,965 Elected

References

  1. ^ "Pirapaharan confers Maamanithar (Great Humanbeing) award to Raviraj". The Island (Sri Lanka). 12 November 2006.
  2. ^ Fuard, Asif (12 November 2006). "He asked "why are you silent"; the next day he was silenced". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
  3. ^ "Pirapaharan confers Maamanithar award to Raviraj". TamilNet. 11 November 2006.
  4. ^ "Directory of Members: Nadarajah Raviraj". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  5. ^
    The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 11 November 2006. Archived from the original
    on 28 March 2013.
  6. ^
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  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Tamil Parliamentarian Raviraj assassinated in Colombo". TamilNet. 10 November 2006.
  9. ^ ""Allow Raviraj's casket to be taken through A9," family requests SL President". TamilNet. 11 November 2006.
  10. ^ a b c Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (10 November 2006). "Tragic demise of Nadarajah Raviraj in Colombo". Trans Currents. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ "Assassins gun down mayor in Sri Lanka". The Independent. Associated Press. 17 May 1998. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Sri Lanka bomb kills Jaffna mayor". BBC News. 11 September 1998.
  13. ^ "Jaffna TULF official killed". TamilNet. 26 December 1998.
  14. ^ ""Stop war, start talks" – TULF". TamilNet. 9 January 2001.
  15. The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original
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  18. ^ "Four TNA candidates wounded in EPDP attack". TamilNet. 28 November 2001.
  19. ^ a b "General Election 2001 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015.
  20. ^ a b "General Election 2004 Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2010.
  21. ^ Gnanadass, Wilson (18 January 2009). "Professionalism in killings foxes them all". The Nation (Sri Lanka).
  22. ^ Perera, Amantha (12 November 2006). "Raviraj's last act". The Sunday Leader. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
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  31. The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 11 November 2006. Archived from the original
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  33. ^ a b "Special Report No. 26: Can the East be won through Human Culling?". University Teachers for Human Rights. 3 August 2007.
  34. ^ "Bulletins No.42 & 43". University Teachers for Human Rights. 13 December 2006.
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  36. ^ Balachandran, P. K. (15 November 2006). "Scotland Yard may probe SL MP killing". Hindustan Times.
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  38. ^ "Violent cult: Bring it to book". The Nation (Sri Lanka). 12 November 2006.
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