Chennai: There was no fear in the eyes even in death. Such was the unmistakable stare in the picture of slain Prabhakaran, released by the Sri Lankan government. In the absence of independent verification, questions continue to haunt as to how exactly he had died.
Now, 14 years after the war, which wiped out the top LTTE leadership and decimated the militant organisation, Tamil nationalist leader Pazha Nedumaran, pledging the credibility of his long political career, has claimed that the Tiger supremo is still alive with his family and would resurface as the situation in the island nation is conducive for his arrival. Not only the octogenarian, some pro-Tamil leaders too are skeptical about Colombo's version and are engaged in perpetuating the myth of Prabhakaran's invincibility.
India's backing- Curiously enough, Nedumaran's claim comes amid the ongoing negotiations in Sri Lanka on devolution of powers, said to be backed by New Delhi. The BJP too has been carrying out an outreach with high profile visits, including that of Union Minister L Murugan and Tamil Nadu state president K Annamalai. As such, it has baffled not only LTTE supporters but even those opposed to the Tigers. Now, the new shocking claim has reopened the old questions.
Sri Lanka's version- According to Sri Lankan officials, the LTTE chief was killed while fleeing the army on May 18, 2009. He was accompanied by his intelligence chief Pottu Amman and sea Tiger's chief Soosai at that time. “We intercepted the LTTE communications and learnt that Prabhakaran and two other leaders had boarded a captured ambulance. We spotted it and it was blown up in the attack. Three bodies were recovered. We have accomplished the mission,” Lankan Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka, who led the war, had said then.
Later, President Mahinda Rajapaksa informed the then Indian external Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, confirming the death of Prabhakaran. The island nation's defence ministry website claimed the recovery of Prabhakaran's bullet-ridden body on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon in Mullivaikkal.
Int'l media barred- International media was barred entry from the conflict zone and the photographs and footage were fed by the government. Prabhakaran was then 54 and it was left to Karuna alias Vinayagamurthy Muraleetharan, a former commander and trusted lieutenant of Prabhakaran whose defection weakened the Tigers, to identify his former mentor and leader. Karuna was at that time a minister in the Rajapaksa ministry.
What LTTE said? But, confirmation of his 'martyrdom' came from the LTTE itself with a statement first from LTTE international representative Selvarasa Pathmanathan and then from the Tiger's intelligence wing head Kathirkamathamby Arivazhagan. "The battle has reached its bitter end...we have decided to silence our guns.We remain with one last choice -- to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns," the official statement from the LTTE on May 17, 2009 read. "We confirm emphatically that the National Leader did not surrender and was not arrested but fought attaining 'Martyrdom'," Arivazhagan said in a statement.
Who said what? There was mixed reaction to Nedumaran's claim in Tamil Nadu as well as Sri Lanka. “Happy to know that he is alive. I would like to meet him in person, if Nedumaran takes me,” was the reaction of TNCC president KS Alagiri. CPI state Secretary R Mutharasan subscribed to Nedumaran's claim asserting that the latter would never say anything without proof and expressed his happiness. Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi president T Velmurugan, MLA, wished that it should be true.
But, filmmaker Seeman of Naam Tamila Katchi, is skeptical. “It is hard to believe that the leader would have deserted the land which he wanted to liberate. He is not a coward to escape, leaving his son, Balachandran, to be killed by the Lankan army. Further, Prabhakaran had declared not to leave Tamil land for any reason. He is not a person to remain in hiding for more than a decade,” he told the media.
While the island government has denied the claim, former Lankan MP, MK Shivajilingam alleged that Colombo had failed to provide conclusive evidence on the Tiger supremo's death which gives room to believe that the leader might be alive. However, former minister of Northern Province, Kandaiah Saveswaran dismissed it as an 'entertainer for those awaiting a messiah'.
