Dr. Rajini Thiranagama was the Head of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Jaffna. She was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on September 21, 1989.
An active social activist, Rajini was known for her fearless views on the Tamil national conflict and human rights violations resulting from the conflict. She was a co-author of The Broken Palmyrah, published in 1988 by the Harvey Mudd University College Press in the United States. The book was later translated into Sinhala as Bíndunu Thal Ruka by Premaalal Kumarasiri and published by the Social Scientists’ Association in 1993.
“Groups like the LTTE, EROS, TELO, PLOTE, and EPRLF all sought to establish their political and moral dominance through armed activities,” notes Dayapala Thiranagama, emphasizing that public support should have been established before taking up arms. He also points out that even Rajini, who is no longer alive, initially accepted that armed struggle was a path to liberation, a notion widely accepted at the time.
Dayapala Thiranagama, Rajini’s husband, was a leftist intellectual who, at the time of her assassination, was hiding due to threats from southern JVP insurgents.
Rajini’s sister, Nirmala Rajasingham, supported the LTTE and now resides in the United Kingdom. Both Dayapala and Rajini initially had no affiliations with militant groups. However, the LTTE had begun assassinating operatives of rival militant groups by then.
Despite not being affiliated with any armed group, Rajini, as a medical professional, treated injured militants. In September 1983, she went to the UK for postgraduate studies and became involved with the Tamil diaspora and the struggle to secure the release of her detained sister, Nirmala, which brought her closer to the LTTE. However, she later distanced herself from the group, influenced by Dayapala.
After completing her doctorate, Rajini returned to serve at the University of Jaffna and became actively involved in political and human rights advocacy. For example, she once intervened to release child soldiers recruited by the LTTE, even traveling to an LTTE camp to negotiate their release, recalls Dayapala. Rajini’s public advocacy on behalf of victims did not sit well with the LTTE.
Together with other university lecturers, Rajini helped establish the University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) at the University of Jaffna. Through this organization, they compiled the report known as The Broken Palmyrah. The report, initially written in English, was leaked to the LTTE by a sympathizer working at the communications center where copies were being printed.
Viewing Rajini’s human rights work as a betrayal, the LTTE decided to assassinate her. “Their method was to eliminate anyone they saw as a threat,” says Dayapala Thiranagama.
Rajini was killed while cycling home from the medical faculty at the University of Jaffna to her residence in Kokuvil around 5 p.m. Two gunmen called her by name and shot her twice in the head with a revolver. After she collapsed face-down, they fired another shot at her head before fleeing the scene. She died instantly.
“Those who tipped off the LTTE were students from the medical faculty of the university. We identified them. Later, we also identified the gunmen. These details are documented in the book Palmyrah Fallen by Rajan Hoole. After the LTTE was defeated, more details about the incident came to light,” says Hoole.
No police investigation was conducted into Rajini’s murder at the time. The LTTE’s second-in-command, known as Mahattaya, who had close ties with Dayapala, had once sought Rajini’s medical care. “Before her murder, Mahattaya sent me two messages asking me to come to Jaffna, but he never mentioned Rajini. However, it is unlikely that this happened without his knowledge. The LTTE was a highly structured organization,” says Dayapala. Mahattaya himself was later assassinated by the LTTE leadership.
At the time of her assassination, Rajini was the mother of two daughters, aged 11 and 9. They heard the gunshots that killed their mother. “They have never recovered from the trauma of their mother’s death. When the right to life is taken away for political reasons, it affects the victims for their entire lives,” Dayapala states.
Both militant groups and the government carried out politically motivated killings and later forgot the victims, Dayapala points out. Even now, some victims in Sri Lanka do not know where their relatives were buried.
“A new political culture must be created to end politically motivated killings. Political and moral authority should be established through non-violent means. Even if violence becomes necessary, mature political organizations must prioritize ethical and peaceful approaches. This does not mean rejecting all social revolutions, but emphasizing non-violence,” Dayapala concludes.
