-By LeN Investigative Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -08.July.2025, 9.35 PM) In a dramatic development that may reopen old wounds from Sri Lanka’s turbulent post-war years, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has taken into custody a close associate of Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan—better known by his nom de guerre, “Pillayan”—in connection with the 2006 abduction and disappearance of Professor S. Ravindranath, the former Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University.
The suspect, a private bus driver by profession, was arrested in the Kalmunai area, a region deeply scarred by the conflict and its aftermath. He is also reportedly a former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and later an active figure in Pillayan’s political party, the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP). His arrest signals a renewed focus on what many human rights activists describe as one of the most disturbing unresolved cases in post-war Sri Lanka.
This latest arrest follows the earlier detention of Pillayan himself, who was taken into custody on 8 April this year by CID officers at his office in Batticaloa. He is currently being held in remand custody under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) for a period of 90 days. The act, a controversial legal instrument often criticised by international human rights groups for its potential for abuse, has been repeatedly invoked in cases involving Tamil suspects and former combatants.
Professor Subramaniam Ravindranath disappeared on December 15, 2006, after reportedly receiving threats to resign from his post. On the morning of his disappearance, he had attended a university meeting in the Eastern Province but never returned. His car was later found abandoned near the University premises.
There were early suspicions that Ravindranath’s abduction was politically motivated, part of a wider campaign of intimidation, abductions, and assassinations targeting Tamil intellectuals and dissenters during the height of the conflict. The finger of suspicion quickly pointed to paramilitary groups operating with the tacit support—or, as some allege, direct involvement—of Sri Lanka’s military intelligence. Among them, the TMVP, led by former LTTE commander Pillayan, became increasingly notorious.
Though Pillayan reinvented himself as a politician and briefly served as Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, allegations of his involvement in extrajudicial killings and abductions have persisted. His arrest in April marked a significant turnaround, with CID officers stating that they had reopened the case into Professor Ravindranath’s disappearance as part of a broader effort to address crimes that occurred during the civil conflict and its aftermath.
According to CID sources, the latest individual to be detained was living in the coastal Tamil village of Thirukkovil in the Ampara District. He is believed to have played a supporting role in Ravindranath’s abduction. Officials describe him as not only a “logistics provider” but a man who remained deeply loyal to Pillayan even after the TMVP transitioned from a militant outfit to a political party.
This arrest follows the detainment earlier this week of two more individuals: K. Pushpakumar—also known as Iniya Bharathi and a former Eastern Provincial Council member—and Sivalingam Thavaseelan, both of whom are reported to have had long-standing ties with Pillayan. The CID believes these arrests are key to untangling the conspiracy behind the Vice Chancellor’s disappearance.
Pushpakumar is another figure with a chequered past. Once a prominent member of the LTTE, he defected to the TMVP during the final years of the war. His defection was controversial, not least because of his alleged role in carrying out intelligence operations and suppressing opposition voices in the East. Since then, he has maintained a relatively low public profile, but CID sources suggest he remained a conduit between former militant networks and political power structures in the region.
Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, or Pillayan, rose to prominence during the waning years of the LTTE. Originally one of its child soldiers, he later joined forces with Karuna Amman, the breakaway LTTE commander who defected in 2004. The duo formed the TMVP and quickly became a dominant force in the Eastern Province, enjoying apparent protection from elements within the Sri Lankan military and political elite.
In 2008, Pillayan was installed as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province after controversial provincial elections that were marred by allegations of vote-rigging and voter intimidation. Many Tamil and Muslim residents in the East alleged that the TMVP's presence at polling booths was more about coercion than campaigning.
Though Pillayan attempted to forge a political future, his past refused to be buried. In 2015, he was arrested in connection with the 2005 murder of TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham, but was released in 2021 after the case collapsed due to lack of evidence—some suspect due to witness intimidation.
His arrest in April 2025 over Professor Ravindranath’s case marks the second time that the former child soldier–turned–Chief Minister has faced detention. Legal analysts say this time, the CID appears to have gathered more substantive evidence, with a combination of witness testimonies, surveillance records, and phone data underpinning the case.
The disappearance of Professor Ravindranath has long been emblematic of a broader culture of impunity in Sri Lanka. Human rights organisations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have frequently cited his case in calls for international investigations into war-time and post-war human rights violations.
Many Tamil academics fled the Eastern Province during the war, fearing for their safety amid the crossfire between the LTTE, state forces, and paramilitary groups like the TMVP. Ravindranath, however, chose to stay and serve his community through education. His commitment made him a target.
The failure of successive governments to properly investigate his disappearance was seen by many in the Tamil academic and diaspora communities as yet another signal that justice in Sri Lanka remained elusive, particularly for minorities. The reopening of the investigation has therefore been welcomed—albeit cautiously—by civil society groups, though they remain sceptical about whether the case will ultimately lead to convictions.
The arrest of Pillayan and his associates comes at a politically sensitive time. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration has promised to restore law and order and to break the cycle of impunity that has plagued Sri Lankan politics for decades. The reopening of high-profile cases, including this one, is seen as a litmus test for that commitment.
But observers warn that entrenched interests remain strong. Pillayan still commands loyalty among segments of the Tamil population in the East, particularly those who view him as a bulwark against the LTTE’s return or against Sinhalese nationalist dominance.
Moreover, many fear that the legal system, long criticised for its lack of independence, may struggle to deliver justice in politically charged cases. As one senior human rights lawyer noted, “Bringing suspects to court is one thing. Securing a conviction in Sri Lanka’s courts, especially when powerful interests are involved, is another matter entirely.”
For now, the families of the disappeared wait. The wife and children of Professor Ravindranath have lived with uncertainty and grief for nearly two decades. With the CID’s recent moves, a glimmer of hope has returned. But whether this translates into truth, justice, and accountability remains uncertain.
Sri Lanka’s long and painful journey out of civil war requires not just reconciliation rhetoric but accountability. The arrest of a bus driver from Thirukkovil, who may have driven more than just passengers, is perhaps a small—but vital—step in the long march towards justice. Whether it marks the beginning of a genuine reckoning with the past, or yet another unfulfilled promise, is something only time—and the courts—will tell.
-By LeN Investigative Correspondent
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by (2025-07-08 16:06:29)
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