When this writer spoke about a possible LTTE inside job with regard to the assassination attempt on him, Kittu ruled it out vehemently

Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Jaffna District Commander Sathasivamillai Krishnakumar alias ‘Col’ Kittu was regarded as the uncrowned king of Jaffna in the mid-eighties of the twentieth century. The greater part of Jaffna peninsula was under LTTE control then. This state of affairs came in for a rude shock when an unknown person lobbed a bomb into the vehicle driven by Kittu. The incident which rocked Jaffna in 1987 resulted in the tiger commander losing a leg. The third part of this article focuses primarily on matters related to that explosive incident.

Krishnakumar alias Kittu was a bespectacled, pleasant-faced man, slightly below average height with receding hair above the forehead. As noted in the first part of this article- published a fortnight ago- it was this innocuous appearance that helped Kittu escape from the security forces when he was arrested once in Jaffna. The Army did not realise that the seemingly docile, mild-mannered man they had apprehended on suspicion was the much dreaded Jaffna Tiger chief Kittu.

Interestingly, most people in Jaffna also did not know Kittu when the young man from Valvettithurai was appointed Jaffna military commander under the overall leadership of Raveendran alias ‘Pandithar’. This resulted in a bizarre incident where an enraged Tamil mob attempted to attack Kittu in Jaffna without knowing who he was. What happened then was this.

Krishnakumar alias Kittu was a bespectacled, pleasant-faced man, slightly below average height with receding hair above the forehead. As noted in the first part of this article- published a fortnight ago- it was this innocuous appearance that helped Kittu escape from the security forces when he was arrested once in Jaffna

When Kittu and Thileepan took over as Jaffna military commander and Political commissar respectively under Pandithar’s command in 1984, the army and police were moving about freely in Jaffna. Thus the LTTE had to keep a low profile and mingle with the people without revealing their identities. In the words of Mao Ze Dong, the guerillas were the fish swimming in an ocean of people.

In April 1984, the Tigers led by Kittu, laid a landmine on the busy Hospital road in the heart of Jaffna city to ambush an Army patrol. The explosion occurred opposite the “Adaikkala Maathaa” (Our Lady of Refuge) Catholic Church. A few soldiers were injured, but none were killed.

The tigers had concealed themselves within the church premises to trigger off the landmine. Some soldiers rushed into the church grounds and fired wildly. The Church walls were riddled with gun fire.

The news began spreading that the Army had attacked the Adaikkala Maathaa Church. Around 40 % of the population in the Jaffna municipality were Catholics. Soon, an enraged mob gathered near the Buddhist Naga Vihare near Aariyakulam in Jaffna. They wanted to attack the Vihare in revenge.

Hearing of this, Kittu rushed to the spot and ordered the mob to disperse. When asked who he was, Kittu said he was the LTTE Jaffna Commander. Many in the mob disbelieved Kittu because of his innocuous appearance. They moved menacingly towards him saying you are not a Tiger. Kittu whipped out his pistol and fired two shots in the air. Realising that the docile Kittu was indeed the tiger commander, the mob backed off and then scattered.

This was how Kittu first became known to the Jaffna residents.  Subsequently Kittu became a familiar sight in Jaffna. He made his presence felt in a big way after the greater part of the Jaffna peninsula came under the LTTE’s sway. It was under Kittu’s command that the Tigers established control over much of Jaffna.

Jaffna Police Station attack

How did this situation come about? As the LTTE began to step up attacks and ambushes inside the peninsula, several police stations were closed down. The Army also reduced its check posts and sentry posts. Army patrolling decreased. The game changer however was the LTTE attack on the Jaffna Police station, which was the Police headquarters for the entire district.

The LTTE had a ‘mole’ inside the Jaffna Police station in the form of a Police sergeant hailing from Valvettithurai. This was none other than Nadesan who later became the LTTE’s ‘Inspector General of Police’ and Tiger political chief. Nadesan, who was married to a Sinhala policewoman Vineetha Gunasekera, helped the Tigers to draw up blueprints and maps necessary for an attack.

The LTTE assault on the Jaffna Police station- led personally by Kittu himself- was a huge success with the Tigers seizing the bulk of the police arsenal. It is said that one contingent of Tigers crawled through a stinking drain to take the ‘cops’ by surprise. After the Jaffna Police Station attack, Policing ceased in the Jaffna peninsula. The Army too began restricting troop movements on the ground.

Peace Talks in Thimphu

Then came the famous India -facilitated  peace talks in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu. President J.R. Jayewardene’s brother H.W. Jayewardene QC led the Government delegation. The Tamil side had representatives from the TULF, LTTE, PLOTE, TELO, EPRLF and EROS. The Thimphu talks necessitated a cessation of hostilities  on ground. The armed forces were confined to barracks during the ceasefire.

Kittu utilised this ceasefire to the advantage of the LTTE. He clandestinely set up tiger bunkers and trenches in strategic positions close to military installations. The armed forces were caught napping. The Thimphu talks broke down after two rounds of discussions.  Hostilities commenced again.

When fighting resumed, the Army found itself besieged. There was no danger of the LTTE overrunning the military camps, but the Army found it difficult to move out of their camps because the Tiger detachments stationed at vantage positions in the vicinity would  fire at them at close range.

If and when the Army ventured out on a military sortie, the LTTE command would be alerted on walkie-talkies by Tiger sentries near Army camps. Tiger reinforcements would then be rushed to the trouble spot to engage the Army and send them back to barracks. Kittu himself would frequently lead the LTTE reinforcement convoys. There would be fierce fighting. Eventually the soldiers would move back into their camps.

Semi-Liberated Jaffna

Jaffna was then in a semi-liberated state and Kittu was the man of the hour.  Since the Army could not travel along roads, transport to and from army camps was mainly done by air. Supplies were sent by helicopters. Troops too were transported to and from camps by air. The Palay Airbase was the nerve centre of air transport operations.

With the Army and Police unable to function on ground, the state was compelled to engage in artillery shelling, aerial strafing and aerial bombardment. In a tragic turn of events, the Sri Lankan state began bombing and shelling its own citizens as if they were an alien people.

Despite the bombing, strafing and shelling, those parts of Jaffna under LTTE control were in a ‘semi-liberated’ state. The Jaffna population was living freely without fear of searches, round ups, arrests and detention. This freedom was perceived as being due to the LTTE that was preventing the armed forces from venturing outside their camps.

The tigers enjoyed a great amount of genuine support and popularity among the people at large in those halcyon days of the LTTE. The Tiger cadres were seen as heroes. The LTTE Jaffna Commander Kittu was looked up to with awe, admiration and even regarded with affection by many people in Jaffna then. He was immensely popular. It was in this situation that the unbelievable happened. An attempt was made on Kittu’s life in the heart of Jaffna city. A bomb was thrown at his vehicle resulting in the loss of a leg. The people of Jaffna were shocked and saddened by this. Niromi De Soyza, the author of “Tamil Tigress, My Story as a Child Soldier in Sri Lanka’s Bloody Civil War,” writes in her book about the sadness that prevailed among her schoolmates when they heard about the attack on Kittu. How then did this happen?

Anne Cynthia Thurairajah

“Pandaith Thamizhar Vaalvil  Kaadhalum Veeramum Pinnip pinainthirunthana” (Valour and Romance were inter-twined in the lives of the ancient Tamils) was  an observation made  by Kittu in an interview to a Tamil newspaper in those days. This was a source of amusement to people who knew that cupid’s arrows had pierced the heart of the uncrowned warrior-king of Jaffna. Kittu was then in a relationship with Anne Cynthia Thurairajah a medical student at the Jaffna university. Kittu was a Hindu and Cynthia a Catholic, but then the heart has reasons that reason cannot understand. Cynthia’s family, hailing from Atchuvely, was residing in Jaffna. Kittu would visit his fiancé Cynthia at her home on 2nd Cross Street, Jaffna on specific days of the week if he wasn’t engaged in combat duty.  On March 30, 1987, Kittu himself drove his green Lancer to Cynthia’s residence. Kittu was accompanied by his bodyguard Shanthamani and another cadre Nixon. Shanthamani was seated in front alongside Kittu. Nixon was in the passenger seat.

The assassination attempt

It was dusk when Kittu parked the car close to his fiance’s home on 2nd Cross Street. It was the custom for Kittu’s bodyguards to remain in the vehicle when Kittu called on his fiancé. While Kittu was opening the door of the car there was a ‘pitter-patter’ sound of running feet. A man came running from behind the parked vehicle and flung an explosive device into the car through the passenger side window.

Kittu had opened the door and placed his right foot on the ground when the bomb thrown at him exploded inside the vehicle. His left leg that was still inside the car was shattered. Shanthamani, in the front seat, too was injured. Nixon in the back seat was unhurt.

The injured Kittu fell into the drain by the road. What happened next was unbelievably courageous and truly heroic.  Despite being injured badly, Kittu pulled out his Magnum 357 and fired rapidly at the fleeing bomb thrower who soon disappeared into the hazy twilight darkness. After exhausting the magazine, Kittu was able to re-load his gun, but the bleeding Kittu collapsed and lost consciousness. Kittu was rushed to the Jaffna Hospital. At one point, Kittu’s breathing stopped. Thanks to the life saving efforts of a young intern, Kittu regained breathing. Kittu survived, but his left leg had to be amputated from a point above his knee. The injured Shanthamani too received urgent medical treatment at the hospital.

The LTTE was confused and upset by this totally unexpected incident. The Tigers sealed off the streets and lanes close to 2nd Cross Street. They suspected the assailant was hiding in the neighbourhood. Hundreds of young men were detained and interrogated. Among these was a young sub-editor at the ‘Saturday Review’ editorial office on 4th Cross Street. Except for a few, all the detained youths were  later released.

Suspicion and rumours

Initially it was suspected that Kittu’s would be assassin had come from the Jaffna Fort where the Army was stationed. This was ruled out later due to the fact that LTTE sentries were positioned around the fort and would have detected such a move. This however did not prevent the National Security Ministry from planting stories in the media that a soldier was responsible and claiming credit.

It was also reported first that a grenade had been thrown at Kittu. Consequently the LTTE analysed the fragments of the explosive and concluded that it was a locally made ‘Naattukkundu’ (country bomb). Thereafter the finger of suspicion begam pointing at the EPRLF, TELO and PLOTE.

All three rival organizations had suffered at the hands of the LTTE in fratricidal conflict. It was also suspected that the state may have aided and abetted the assassination attempt. Though the tigers pursued this line of inquiry and detained many potential suspects, nothing concrete was ever proved.

Another disturbing rumour that circulated then was that the attempt on Kittu’s life was an inside job. The then LTTE Deputy Leader Mahendrarajah alias Mahathaya had got it done was one version. The name of Mahathaya loyalist and key LTTE operative Aravintharajah alias ‘Visu’ was bandied about in this regard.

Even more serious was the rumour that LTTE supremo Prabhakaran had got it done separately or through Mahathaya. Jealousy over Kittu’s popularity was attributed as the motive. In any case these were merely rumours and were never ever proved. In later years when Kittu was abroad, I had the opportunity of engaging in lengthy telephone conversations with him. Kittu seemed to trust me and discussed many matters openly. I asked him about the bomb incident once. He replied it was an ‘unknown’ and said he felt a Srisabaratnam (TELO Leader killed personally by Kittu) loyalist thirsting for revenge may have acted as a ‘lone wolf’. When I spoke about a possible LTTE inside job, he ruled it out vehemently. Kittu admonished me angrily  saying “Ippadi Orunaalum Kathaiyaatheyungo Annan” (never ever talk like this elder brother)

Massacre of the innocents by Aruna

A serious, negative consequence of the Kittu assassination attempt was the cold blooded massacre of the innocents perpetrated by senior LTTE leader Aruna. Chellasamy Selvakumar alias Aruna of Kalviyankaadu in Jaffna was a senior Tiger who had served as the Tiger Batticaloa Commander.

Aruna was on his way to Tamil Nadu by boat when the Sri Lankan Navy targeted the vessel. Aruna was among the tigers captured by the Navy. Aruna cleverly concealed his real identity and pretended to be “Kunchu Kumar” an “Oatti” (one who steered a boat) hired by the LTTE. He was detained at the Jaffna Fort. Subsequently the Tiger Jaffna Commander Kittu negotiated with the then National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali and secured Aruna’s release through an exchange of prisoners. The details of this exchange appear in the second part of this article published last week.

Aruna and Kittu were very close friends in addition to being comrades at arms. Besides Aruna was extremely grateful to Kittu for getting him release from custody  through the prisoner exchange deal. Thus when Aruna heard about Kittu being attacked, he went berserk. Aruna simply lost it.

The LTTE had imprisoned around fifty persons in a house on Sreenivasan Street (love lane) near the Jaffna Hindu Ladies’ College. The detainees comprised members of the EPRLF,TELO, PLOTE and a few businessmen. They were being held by the LTTE intelligence wing.

Aruna went to the house and pulled rank on the Tiger guards. Aruna got all the detainees to assemble at one spot. He then took the sub-machine guns from the LTTE guards and mowed down the unarmed prisoners. Over 40 were killed in cold blood by hot-headed Aruna. None of the victims were in any way involved in the attack on Kittu. It was truly a massacre of the innocents. Incidentally it is this incident which is erroneously referred to by many as the ‘Kandhan Karunai’ massacre.

Aruna was detained by the LTTE Leader Prabhakaran over this massacre. His membership in the LTTE was suspended. There was no other punishment. When fighting began between the Indian Army and the Tigers in October 1987, Aruna was released, but forbidden to carry arms. Some weeks later Aruna was killed by an Indian Army patrol near St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna.

The LTTE came out with a cock and bull story to justify the massacre. The Tigers maintained that some anti-social elements, detained by the LTTE for further investigation, had overpowered two Tiger guards and killed them. They had seized their firearms and tried to escape. There was a shoot-out and some prisoners were killed in the firing. There were few takers for this tiger version. This horrible massacre was condemned widely.

Kittu’s medical treatment

Meanwhile Kittu was moved to a safe house by the LTTE after the amputation instead of him receiving medical attention at the hospital itself. This was because the Tigers feared the security forces could launch an aerial operation targeting the Jaffna hospital because of Kittu being there. Several medical doctors visited Kittu at different secret locations and tended to him. Kittu also received medical care occasionally at the Philips Nursing Home in Jaffna.

Kittu’s deputy and the then Tiger spokesperson in Jaffna Srikumar Kanagaratnam alias Rahim took on the responsibility of looking after Kittu. Rahim stayed close to Kittu day and night. He was responsible for Kittu’s security as well as coordinating medical care.  In addition, Rahim functioned as Kittu’s personal aide in what was a labour of love. The LTTE Mannar Commander Radha was transferred to Jaffna as Acting Commander in place of Kittu.

Walked with crutches

Kittu was strong and sturdy. He recovered soon, but had to wear a sarong and walk about with crutches due to the leg being amputated. His stature within the movement and popularity with the people remained constant. When the LTTE observed May Day, Kittu was at the venue in a vehicle and addressed the crowd on May 1, 1987.

When the security forces launched ‘Operation Liberation’ on May 26/27, 1987 to re-capture the Vadamaradchy region of the peninsula, Kittu could engage in combat. But the erstwhile Jaffna Commander communicated with his boys on the frontlines via radio and provided encouragement and advice.

Politically active

In spite of losing a leg, Kittu continued to be active politically within the LTTE. He travelled to many countries like India, UK, France, Switzerland and Mexico. He was also engaged in many peace initiatives. All these matters will be related in detail in the fourth and final part of this article next week.

(D.B.S.Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com)