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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = K. Pathmanabha
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name = க. பத்மநாபா
| native_name_lang = ta
| image = K. Pathmanabha.jpg
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| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1951|11|19|df=yes}}
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1990|06|19|1951|11|19|df=yes}}
| death_place = Kodambakam, [[Madras]], [[India]]
| nationality = [[Sri Lanka]]n
| other_names = Ranjan
| citizenship =
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| years_active = –1990
| organization = [[Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front]]
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'''Kandasamy Pathmanabha''' ({{lang-ta|கந்தசாமி பத்மநாபா}}; 19 November 1951 – 19 June 1990) was a [[Sri Lankan Tamil]] rebel and founder/leader of the [[Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front]] (EPRLF), a [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups|separatist Tamil militant organisation]] in [[Sri Lanka]].

==Early life==
Pathmanabha was born on 19 November 1951.<ref name=yahoo>{{cite news|last1=Swamy|first1=M.R. Narayan|title=A Sri Lankan Tamil who could have made a difference|url=https://in.news.yahoo.com/sri-lankan-tamil-could-made-difference-043347536.html|work=[[Yahoo! News]]|agency=[[Indo-Asian News Service]]|date=19 November 2011}}</ref><ref name=dbsj>{{cite web|title=Comrade Pathmanabha Our Leader and Mentor|url=http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/35069|publisher=dbsjeyaraj.com/EPRLF Central Committee|date=18 November 2014}}</ref> He was from [[Kankesanthurai]] in northern [[Dominion of Ceylon|Ceylon]].<ref name=dbsj/>

Pathmanabha became interested in [[radical politics]] in the late 1960s. He was one of the members of the Tamil Student Federation/Tamil Students' League which was formed in 1972 as a reaction to the [[Discrimination|discriminatory]] [[Policy of standardisation]].<ref>{{cite news|title=A history unlikely to be repeated|url=http://www.ceylontoday.lk/45-32472-news-detail-a-history-unlikely-to-be-repeated.html|newspaper=[[Ceylon Today]]|date=16 May 2013}}</ref> The [[1974 Tamil conference incident]] further radicalised Pathmanabha.<ref name=yahoo/>

==ELO==
In 1974/75 Pathmanabha and others founded the Eelam Liberation Organisation (Eela Viduthalai Iyakkam) (ELO).<ref name=LG150890>{{cite journal|last1=Jayatilleka|first1=Dayan|authorlink1=Dayan Jayatilleka|title=K. Pathmanaba: Political Philosophy and Praxis|journal=Lanka Guardian|date=15 August 1990|volume=13|issue=8|pages=16–19|url=http://noolaham.net/project/79/7853/7853.pdf}}</ref> On 10 May 1976 the ELO robbed the Puloly Multi-purpose Cooperative Society's bank in [[Puloly]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Rajasingham|first=K. T.|title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DA26Df04.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020213090010/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DA26Df04.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=2002-02-13|chapter=Chapter 24: Tamil militancy - a manifestation}}</ref> Pathmanabha was personally involved in the robbery.<ref name=LG150890/> Others involved in the robbery included [[Varatharaja Perumal]] (later [[Chief Minister of North Eastern Province]]), [[V. Balakumaran (Tamil activist)|V. Balakumaran]] (later leader of the [[Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students]]) and S. Thavaraja (later an [[Eelam People's Democratic Party]] MP and leader of the opposition on the [[Northern Provincial Council]]).<ref>{{cite news|title=LTTE Seniors Balakumaran, 8 other hardcore in police custody|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/node/21366|work=[[Asian Tribune]]|date=12 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Jayadevan|first1=Rajasingham|title=Hypocrisy of Paramilitary Leader Douglas Devananda|url=http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2013/08/hypocrisy-of-paramilitary-leader.html|work=Sri Lanka Guardian|date=4 August 2013}}</ref> After the robbery Pathmanabha went [[Fugitive|on the run]] whilst the ELO disintegrated due to the security crackdown.<ref name=LG150890/>

==GUES/EROS==
Pathmanabha moved to [[London]] in 1976 to study [[accountancy]].<ref name=yahoo/> Here he met with other Tamils who shared his views. Together they formed the General Union of Eelam Students (GUES) and the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students (EROS).<ref name=LG150890/> [[Said Hammami]], the [[Palestine Liberation Organization]]'s representative in London, helped a small group Tamils including Pathmanabha take military training in the [[Lebanon]].<ref name=yahoo/><ref name=LG150890/> In 1978 he went to [[India]] to establish a base for GUES/EROS.<ref name=LG150890/> He then returned to Sri Lanka but the security forces were still looking for him so he had to travel in disguise.<ref name=yahoo/><ref name=LG150890/>

==EPRLF==
Pathmanabha and other members, including [[Douglas Devananda]], Varatharaja Perumal and [[Suresh Premachandran]], left the EROS in 1981 and formed their own [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups|militant group]] which would come to be known as the [[Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front]] (EPRLF).<ref name=LG150890/> Pathmanabha moved to Kodambakam, [[Madras]], India in 1981 to establish the new group.<ref name=yahoo/>

In December 1986 the rival [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE) attacked the EPRLF in Sri Lanka, inflicting a heavy losses and killing Gaffoor, the EPRLF's military commander.<ref name=SL181101>{{cite news|last1=Jeyaraj|first1=D. B. S.|authorlink1=|title=The Dougles Devananda phenomenon|url=http://www.thesundayleader.lk/archive/20011118/issues.htm|work=[[The Sunday Leader]]|date=18 November 2001}}</ref><ref name=UTHR>{{cite web|title=Report No. 1 - Appendix 1: The Snares of Violence|url=http://www.uthr.org/Reports/Report1/Appendix1.htm|publisher=[[University Teachers for Human Rights]]|date=January 1989}}</ref> Many EPRLF cadres were killed or taken prisoner and EPRLF camps and weapons were seized by the LTTE.<ref name=SL181101/><ref name=UTHR/> Devananda was blamed for the debacle.<ref name=SL181101/> The LTTE's animosity against the EPRLF, which it considered to be pro-India, increased following the outbreak of fighting between the LTTE and the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]] (IPKF) in October 1987.<ref name=ST231197>{{cite news|title=End of a trial: Padmanabha murder case|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/971123/news3.html|work=[[The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)]]|date=23 November 1997}}</ref> The LTTE called for a boycott of the [[1988 North Eastern Provincial Council election]], stating that anyone who contested would be labelled a traitor and punished.<ref name=ST231197/> The EPRLF nevertheless contested and, with the connivance of the IPKF, secured 41 of the 71 seats on the [[North Eastern Provincial Council]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Election Results|journal=[[Tamil Times]]|date=December 1988|volume=VIII|issue=1|page=4|url=http://noolaham.net/project/34/3317/3317.pdf|issn=0266-4488}}</ref> Varatharaja Perumal became the first (and only) [[Chief Minister of North Eastern Province]].<ref name=ST231197/> On 1 March 1990, just as the IPKF were preparing to withdraw from Sri Lanka, Perumal moved a motion in the North Eastern Provincial Council [[Declaration of independence|declaring]] an [[Independence|independent]] [[Tamil Eelam|Eelam]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/features/20000912no_traitor.htm|title=I'm no traitor, says Perumal|last=Ferdinando|first=Shamindra|date=10 September 2000|publisher=[[Sunday Island (Sri Lanka)]]|access-date=22 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501173226/http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/features/20000912no_traitor.htm|archive-date=1 May 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Fearful of the consequences once the IPKF had pulled out, the EPRLF leadership fled to India.<ref name=ST231197/><ref name=TT0390>{{cite journal|title=Chief Minister Flees as IPKF Pulls Out|journal=[[Tamil Times]]|date=15 March 1990|volume=IX|issue=4|page=5|url=http://noolaham.net/project/34/3332/3332.pdf|issn=0266-4488}}</ref> On 11 March 1990 Pathmanabha was flown from [[Trincomalee]] to [[Bhubaneswar]] in an Indian military aircraft.<ref name=TT0390/> [[President of Sri Lanka|President]] [[Ranasinghe Premadasa]] imposed direct rule on the North Eastern province on 25 March 1990.<ref>{{cite journal|title=President Orders Direct Rule Over N-E Council|journal=[[Tamil Times]]|date=15 April 1990|volume=IX|issue=5|page=7|url=http://noolaham.net/project/34/3333/3333.pdf|issn=0266-4488}}</ref>

On the evening of 19 June 1990 the EPRLF central committee were meeting at a flat at the Zachria Colony in Kodambakam.<ref name=TT0790>{{cite journal|last=Parthasarathy|first=R.|title=A Massacre in Madras|journal=[[Tamil Times]]|date=15 July 1990|volume=IX|issue=8|page=9|url=http://noolaham.net/project/34/3336/3336.pdf|issn=0266-4488}}</ref><ref name=FL140899>{{cite journal|last=Subramanian |first=T. S. |title=Chronicle of murders |journal=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] |date=14 August 1999 |volume=16 |issue=17 |url=http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1617/16171020.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110123525/http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1617/16171020.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 November 2012 |issn=0970-1710 }}</ref> At around 7pm gunmen broke into the flat and started firing.<ref name=TT0790/> Eight people including Pathmanabha, Member of Parliament [[G. Yogasangari]] and provincial minister P. Kirubakaran were [[Padmanabha murder case|killed]].<ref name=TT0790/><ref name=FL140899/><ref>{{cite book|last=Rajasingham|first=K. T.|title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DF15Df01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020917071933/http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DF15Df01.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=2002-09-17|chapter=Chapter 44: Eelam war - again}}</ref> Five EPRLF cadres waiting outside the block of flats were also killed.<ref name=TT0790/> The assassination was blamed on the rival rebel [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]].<ref name=TT0790/><ref name=FL140899/><ref>{{cite news|last=Jeyaraj|first=D. B. S.|title=Assassinating Tamil Parliamentarians: The unceasing waves|url=http://www.nation.lk/2008/03/16/newsfe1.htm|newspaper=[[The Nation (Sri Lanka)]]|date=16 March 2008|authorlink=|access-date=22 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220083850/http://www.nation.lk/2008/03/16/newsfe1.htm|archive-date=20 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Sri Lankan Civil War}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pathmanabha, K.}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front militants]]
[[Category:Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students militants]]
[[Category:People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:People killed during the Sri Lankan Civil War]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil rebels]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan expatriates in India]]

K. Pathmanabha - Revision history

Bot at 10:14, 17 August 2022