Colonel Kittu
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Sathasivam Krishnakumar (; 2 January 1960 – 16 January 1993; commonly known by the nom de guerre Kittu) was a
Sri Lankan Tamil Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, form the plurality in the Eastern Province a ...
rebel and leading member of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eela ...
, a separatist Tamil militant organisation in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
.


Early life and family

Krishnakumar was born on 2 January 1960. He was the son of Sathasivam and Rajaluxmy (Seethalakshmi) from Valvettithurai in northern
Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. Sathasivam owned the Kumar Achchakam
printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in whi ...
in Nelliady. Rajaluxmy was a supporter of the
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK; ; , ) is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil minority in the country. It was originally founded in 1949 as a breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC). In 1972, ITA ...
and took part in the 1961
satyagraha Satyāgraha (from ; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone who practises satyagraha is ...
. Krishnakumar had one brother and two sisters. He was educated at Chithambara College, Valvettithurai and Velautham Maha Vidyalayam. V. Prabhakaran and
Mahattaya Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja (1956 – 28 December 1994), also known as Mahattaya was a member of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who was killed for leaking secrets to India's RAW. Personal life Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja was related to Vel ...
were also educated at Chithambara College. Prabhakaran was also a close relative and friend of Krishnakumar.


LTTE

Krishnakumar was involved in helping
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
refugees who fled to the
Jaffna peninsula The Jaffna Peninsula (, or ) is a region in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna, and comprises much of the former land mass of the medieval Jaffna Kingdom. The peninsula was historically ...
following the 1977 anti-Tamil riots. Deeply affected by the suffering of the refugees, Krishnakumar joined the
militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Lat ...
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eela ...
(LTTE) in 1978. He was given the
nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...
Kittu. He then travelled, along with LTTE leader Prabhakaran, to
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
, India. LTTE member Seelan (Charles Lucas Anthony), a close associate of Prabhakaran, was killed in a confrontation with the
Sri Lanka Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; ...
in Meesalai on 15 July 1983. On 20 July 1983 the
Sri Lankan government The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) (; ) is a Semi-presidential republic determined by the Sri Lankan Constitution. It administers the island from both its commercial capital of Colombo and the administrative capital of Sri Jayawardenepura Kott ...
banned all reporting about the LTTE. In response, the LTTE planned to ambush an army military convoy. On 23 July 1983, at around 11.30 pm, the LTTE ambushed the
Four Four Bravo Four Four Bravo was the call sign of a fifteen-man Sri Lankan Army patrol, deployed in the Jaffna Peninsula on 23 July 1983. The patrol was ambushed and thirteen of its members were killed by the LTTE. This incident sparked the Thirunelveli m ...
military patrol in
Thirunelveli Tirunelveli (), also known as Nellai and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the fourth-largest municip ...
near
Jaffna Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...
. Thirteen soldiers were killed on the spot, two died later and a number of LTTE cadres were also killed. LTTE members involved in the ambush included Prabhakaran, Kittu, Appaiah, Chellakili, Iyer, Pulendran, Santos and Victor. The ambush precipitated the
Black July Black July (; ) was an anti- Tamil pogrom that occurred in Sri Lanka during July 1983. The pogrom was premeditated, and was finally triggered by a deadly ambush on a Sri Lankan Army patrol by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 23 ...
anti-Tamil riots in which between 400 and 3,000 Tamils were killed by Sinhalese mobs. Kittu then became the LTTE's Jaffna regional commander. Unusually, Kittu would personally lead LTTE's operations against the Sri Lankan military. Kittu is credited with instilling discipline amongst the LTTE cadres. He would punish harshly LTTE cadres who violated their
code of ethics Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference between right and wrong and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents at three levels: codes of b ...
and civilians who committed minor offences. He established
kangaroo court Kangaroo court is an informal pejorative term for a court that ignores recognized standards of law or justice, carries little or no official standing in the territory within which it resides, and is typically convened ad hoc. A kangaroo court ma ...
s in Jaffna peninsula to create a state of fear amongst the population. In April 1986 the LTTE banned rival militant organisation Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and set about killing its leader Sri Sabaratnam. Sabaratnam went on the run, fleeing from TELO's main base in Kalviyankadu to Neervely, then to Kopay and finally to Kondavil. The LTTE found out that he was in Kondavil and they, led by Kittu, cordoned off the area and started a house-to-house search, using loud hailers to warn local residents not to shelter Sabaratnam. On 6 May 1986 the LTTE discovered Sabaratnam in a tobacco field and Kittu shot him in the leg to prevent him escaping. Sabaratnam pleaded with Kittu for his life but Kittu shot him using a machine gun. Sabaratnam's bullet ridden body was displayed at Kondavil bus stand before being handed over to his family. Kittu's ruthless side was tempered by respect for enemies whom he considered to be brave. During the 1986 siege of Jaffna fort, Kittu met with Captain Jayanath Kotelawala, whom he considered to be brave, several times and arranged for firewood and mangoes to be provided for soldiers trapped inside the fort. Kittu met Vijaya Kumaranatunga, Sinhalese actor and leftist politician, in Jaffna in October 1986. Kittu led the LTTE's delegation in the short lived peace talks with the Sri Lankan government in
Kankesanthurai Kankesanthurai (, , lit. ''Port Kankesan''), colloquially known as KKS, is a port suburb, fishing division and resort hub of the Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Formerly an electoral district, Kankesanthurai is home to the Kankesant ...
in December 1986. On 13 March 1987 Kittu was travelling in a jeep to meet his girlfriend Cynthia, a medical student at the
University of Jaffna The University of Jaffna (, ''Yāpanaya Wiśwawidyālaya''; ; abbreviated UoJ) is a public university in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Established in 1974 as the sixth campus of the University of Sri Lanka, it became an independent, autonomous university in 1 ...
, when, on Second Cross Street, Jaffna a gunman fired at the jeep and threw a grenade inside it. Two of Kittu's bodyguards were killed and a third injured seriously. Kittu's right leg was seriously damaged and had to be amputated. As a result, his military career came to an end. The LTTE blamed rival militant groups Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front and TELO for the attempted assassination and quickly "rounded up" members of these groups. Kittu then re-located to
Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...
where took charge of the LTTE's propaganda office. During the LTTE-India conflict in Sri Lanka Kittu met with
Research and Analysis Wing The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) is the foreign intelligence agency of the Republic of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, and a ...
agents for talks aimed at bringing peace and implementing the
Indo-Lanka Accord The Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord was an accord signed in Colombo on 29 July 1987, between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene. The accord was expected to resolve the Sri Lankan Civil War by enabling t ...
. Kittu sent LTTE cadre Johny back to Sri Lanka to get instructions from Prabhakaran who was operating from the Vanni jungles. However, Johny was ambushed by the
Indian Peace Keeping Force Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lanka ...
and killed. The LTTE-India talks collapsed and in August 1988 twelve LTTE offices in
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
were closed and 154 LTTE activists, including Kittu, were arrested. The LTTE activists threatened to launch a
hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
as they were being detained without charge. Kittu was released in October 1988 and deported back to Indian held Jaffna. He then travelled to the Vanni, leaving his girlfriend Cynthia in Jaffna. In 1989, when peace negotiations were being carried out between the LTTE and Sri Lankan government, Prabhakaran decided to send Kittu to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
for treatment to his amputated leg. Kittu was flown from the Vanni to
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
in a Sri Lankan military helicopter. He was taken to the British High Commission where he received a visa to travel to the UK. However, before leaving Sri Lanka, Kittu married Cynthia, who had travelled from Jaffna to Colombo, on 25 October 1989 at the hotel where the LTTE peace talk delegation were staying. Kittu then travelled to the UK, joined later by Cynthia. Whilst in the UK Kittu took charge of the LTTE's international secretariat in London. It's alleged that Kittu threatened and extorted money from the growing number of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in the UK. This led to numerous complaints being lodged with UK officials and eventually immigration officials started the process for deporting Kittu. Pre-empting this, Kittu travelled to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and then onto Switzerland where he applied for asylum. Next, he travelled to Sweden and then to Vienna where he received orders from Prabhakaran to return to the Vanni. Kittu then flew to
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
. His movements thereafter remain unclear but it is believed he travelled to Thailand where he boarded the MV Yahata. Earlier, whilst in
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
, the Yahata had been loaded with a huge cargo of weapons by the
Pakistan Navy The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...
on the orders of the
Inter-Services Intelligence The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the premier Pakistani Intelligence community, intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant t ...
. The Yahata left
Phuket Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...
with the cargo of weapons and several LTTE cadres, including Kittu, on board. Whilst at sea the ship changed its name to MV Ahat. There are differing accounts of the events which then occurred. According to one account the
Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...
and
Indian Coast Guard The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is a maritime law enforcement and search and rescue agency of India with jurisdiction over its territorial waters including its contiguous zone and Exclusive economic zone of India, exclusive economic zone. It was st ...
intercepted the 400 tonne Ahat on 13 January 1993 south-east of Madras, sailing without navigation lights en route to Madras. According to second account an Indian Coast Guard Dornier aircraft, whilst on a routine surveillance flight between Point Calimere and
Point Pedro Point Pedro, also known as Paruthithurai (; ) is a town, located in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. I ...
, spotted the 280 tonne Ahat on 6 January 1993. The Indian Navy kept the ship under surveillance, noting that it was sailing suspiciously towards the Indian coast, frequently changing course. On 12 January 1993 the Indian had confirmation that the Ahat belonged to the LTTE and carried several LTTE cadres. The Indian navy launched Operation Zabardast and on 14 January 1993 two coast guard ships, the CGS Vivek and INS Kirpan, intercepted the Ahat and escorted it towards the Indian coast. According to a third account, the Ahat was intercepted by the Indian navy on 13 January 1993. Three days later, 700 km south-east of Madras, the LTTE allowed the crew to leave the Ahat after which they blew up the ship. According to a fourth account, which was supported by the LTTE, the Ahat was intercepted by the Indian navy on 13 January 1993 in
international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed region ...
about 290 miles east of
Hambantota Hambantota (, ) is the main city in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. This area was hit hard by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and underwent a number of maj ...
. According to the official Indian military version, the Ahat was spotted on 6 January 1993 in Indian
exclusive economic zone An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...
waters, acting suspiciously and changing course frequently. The Indian coast guard and navy shadowed the Ahat and on making radio contact, found out that the ship was carrying arms, ammunition and explosives for the LTTE. After being surrounded by the Indian navy, the crew set the ship, which was about 12 nautical miles off Madras, on fire. Nine crew members jumped overboard and were rescued by the navy. The remaining crew and LTTE cadres were given an opportunity to surrender but according to the Indians, Kittu threatened to blow the ship up if the Indian tried to board it. Attempts to stop the fire and prevent it from sinking were delayed by the presence on board of explosives and hostile crew. On 16 January 1993 LTTE radio announced that ten senior LTTE cadres, including Kittu, had committed suicide. Three days of mourning, starting 18 January 1993, were announced.


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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kittu 1960 births 1993 suicides 1993 deaths Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members People from Valvettithurai People killed during the Sri Lankan civil war Sri Lankan Tamil rebels Sri Lankan Tamil people Suicides in Sri Lanka Research and Analysis Wing Indian Peace Keeping Force Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi