Nadarajah Raviraj facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hon. Maamanithar Nadarajah Raviraj
நடராஜா ரவிராஜ்
Member of Parliament for Jaffna District
In office 2001–2006
Succeeded by	N. Srikantha
16th Mayor of Jaffna
In office 9 January 2001 – 18 December 2001
Preceded by	Pon Sivapalan
Succeeded by	Sellan Kandaiyan
Personal details
Born	(1962-06-25)25 June 1962
Died	10 November 2006(2006-11-10) (aged 44) Colombo, Sri Lanka
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Political party	Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi
Other political affiliations	Tamil National Alliance
Profession	Lawyer

Nadarajah Raviraj (born 25 June 1962 – died 10 November 2006) was a Sri Lankan Tamil lawyer and politician. He served as the Mayor of Jaffna in 2001. Later, he became a Member of Parliament for the Jaffna District from 2001 to 2006. He was a member of the Tamil National Alliance political party. Sadly, he was shot and killed on 10 November 2006 in Colombo.

Early Life and Family

Nadarajah Raviraj was born on 25 June 1962. His family came from Chavakachcheri in northern Sri Lanka. Both of his parents were teachers. His father taught at Chavakachcheri Hindu College, and his mother taught at Chavakachcheri Hindu Ladies College.

Raviraj went to school at Chavakachcheri Hindu College, Drieberg College, and St. John's College, Jaffna. He later married Sasikala, who was a teacher at Bishop's College in Colombo. They had a daughter named Praveena and a son named Yuthishthran.

Career as a Lawyer and Activist

Raviraj became a lawyer in November 1987. He worked as a human rights lawyer for an organization called Home for Human Rights from 1984 to 1990. This meant he helped people whose basic rights were being violated.

From 1990 to 1993, he worked for the government's legal department, the Attorney-General's Department. He then returned to Home for Human Rights until 1997. After that, he started his own law firm, Raviraj and Associates. His firm focused on cases related to special laws about terrorism. Raviraj represented clients in various courts across Sri Lanka.

He was also part of the Civil Monitoring Committee. This group watched out for serious issues like extra-judicial killings (killings without a proper trial), abductions (kidnappings), and disappearances in Sri Lanka. In 2004, he was recognized as an ambassador of peace by international organizations.

Political Journey

Raviraj joined the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) political party in 1987. He became part of its main committee in 1990 and its legal advisor in 1998.

Becoming Mayor of Jaffna

In 1998, Raviraj ran in the local government election as a TULF candidate and was elected to the Jaffna Municipal Council. The Mayor of Jaffna, Sarojini Yogeswaran, was killed in May 1998. Her successor, Pon Sivapalan, was also killed in September 1998. After another mayoral candidate was killed in December 1998, the TULF decided not to officially appoint a mayor. Because Raviraj was the deputy mayor, he became the acting mayor.

On 9 January 2001, Raviraj was officially sworn in as the Mayor of Jaffna.

Serving in Parliament

In October 2001, several Tamil political parties, including the TULF, formed a new group called the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). Raviraj ran in the 2001 parliamentary election as a TNA candidate for the Jaffna District.

During his campaign, on 28 November 2001, Raviraj and other TNA members were attacked by a group supported by the government. Two TNA supporters were killed, and several others, including Raviraj, were injured. Despite this, Raviraj was elected and became a member of the Sri Lankan Parliament. He then resigned from his role as Mayor of Jaffna. He was re-elected to Parliament in the 2004 election.

Death

On 9 November 2006, Raviraj led a protest in Colombo. He was speaking out against an army shelling incident that killed 45 civilians. The next morning, Raviraj appeared on a live TV show. Afterward, he went home, had breakfast, and got ready for work. Since his driver was away, he drove himself.

At 8:39 AM, as Raviraj was driving, a motorcycle stopped nearby. A person from the motorcycle got off, crossed the road, and waited. As Raviraj's car passed, the person pulled out a rifle from a bag and fired many shots at the car. Raviraj's car was hit from the front, side, and back. The attacker then ran back to the motorcycle, which sped away.

Raviraj was shot five times, and his police bodyguard was shot eight times. Both were rushed to the hospital. Sadly, his bodyguard was pronounced dead upon arrival. Raviraj was also in critical condition and passed away at 9:20 AM after emergency surgery.

On 10 November 2006, the LTTE group gave Raviraj the title Maamanithar, which means "great human being." His body had to be flown to northern Sri Lanka for his funeral because a main highway was closed. His funeral took place on 15 November 2006 in Chavakachcheri.

Raviraj's death was condemned by people around the world. There were many questions about who was responsible for his assassination.

Investigation and Trial

The police started an investigation into Raviraj's death. British detectives were even brought in to help. Several suspects were arrested over time.

In 2015, after a new government came into power, the investigation was reopened. More people were arrested, including some navy personnel. In November 2015, six people were charged with Raviraj's murder. These included three navy personnel, two members of a paramilitary group, and a police officer.

The trial for the six suspects began in September 2016. In December 2016, an all-Sinhala jury found all five defendants who were present not guilty. They were then released.

Electoral History