Selvarasa Pathmanathan
Kumaran Pathmanadan (also know as Kumaran Padmanadan, Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam or simply KP; born April 6, 1955[1]) was the chief procurer of arms for the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the Tamil Tigers), a Sri Lankan militant organization. He is also wanted by Indian Police in connection with the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. He was arrested in Thailand on September 11, 2007.
Early life
Little information is available of his early life. He was born Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam on April 6, 1955 in the Kankasanthurai village in the Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. He is known to be able to converse in Tamil, English, French and Sinhalese.[1]
Pathmanadan is known to use at least 23 aliases and masks,[2] and has been on the Interpol most wanted list for a number of years for charges including criminal conspiracy and for the violation of the Indian Terrorist Act and the Indian Explosive Act.[1] He has also been implicated in several assassinations of political leaders.[3]
Rajiv Gandhi assassination
On May 21, 1991, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was a controvosial figure in Sri Lanka due to his decision four years before to send the IPKF to Sri Lanka, was assassinated by a suicide bomber at a public meeting in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The assassination was carried out by the LTTE suicide bomber Thenmuli Rajaratnam also known as Dhanu, who detonated an RDX explosive laden belt tucked below her dress as she bent down to greet him.
Intelligence agencies believe that Pathmanadan had links with the planning of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.[2][4][5] The Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) They approached 23 countries in 2001 requesting information regarding LTTE members who they believed were linked with th assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Sweden, where Pathmanadan was believed to be hiding, was one of the countries.[4]
The Interpol Headquaters in Lyon, France also issued a red notice against Pathmanadan, which requests member states to arrest the suspect and hold them for extradition. The notice stated, "Tharmalingam (Pathmanadan) is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Rajiv Gandhi on 21 May 1991 in Tamil Nadu, India."[2]
Refernces
- ^ a b c Interpol, New Delhi, Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam: Wanted by Interpol
- ^ a b c The Hindu, The LTTE and the `KP Factor', Iqbal Athas, October 15, 2003
- ^ The Bangkok Post, Top Tamil Tiger arrested in Bangkok, September 11, 2007
- ^ a b Current Affairs, Sri Lanka, CBI wants ‘KP’ in connection with Rajiv assassination case, April 5, 2001
- ^ Hindustan Times, LTTE trying to rehabilitate its ace arms procurer, PK Balachandran, October 19, 2003