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Jain Commission Interim Report

Threats to Rajiv Gandhi and his Security

Chapter I

Sections 5 to 8

5 Threats emanating from Sri Lankan Tamil militant elements other than LTTE, Sinhala extremists and hostile sections of Sri Lankan government | 6 Extremist Sinhala elements and hostile sections of Sri Lankan government | 7 Threat perception from Punjab extremists | 8 Threats from Punjab Extremists based in foreign countries

Threats emanating from Sri Lanka Tamil militant elements other than LTTE, Sinhala extremists and hostile sections of Sri Lankan government.

 4.29 On 3rd. November, 1988, an attempt to forcibly overthrow the Government of Maldives by Sri Lankan militant elements who were suspected to be mercenaries was foiled by the timely intervention of the Indian Navy at the instance of Prime Minister Shri. Rajiv Gandhi. The reaction of the Government of Maldives to this gesture of the Government of India can be gauged from the following excerpt of the book "My Presidential Years" written by former President of India, Shri. R. Venkataraman :-

 (Page 251)

"President Gayoom of Maldives, Chairman, SAARC, came to Delhi on a working visit for two days. During the discussions,(8.12.88) Gayoom expressed profound thanks for India's quick and generous intervention in aborting the coup in his country on November 3rd. 1988. Gayoom explained that what occurred on November 3rd. was not a coup by dissident groups within the country but by mercenaries who were mostly Sri Lankan Terrorists."

This development, understandably, gave rise to another cause for hostility against Shri. Rajiv Gandhi in the minds of a section of Sri Lankan Tamil militant elements. This development had security implications for Shri. Rajiv Gandhi, especially from the point of view of his visits to Tamil Nadu. This threat perception was conveyed to the Director, SPG, by the Cabinet Secretariat (R&AW). Relevant excerpts are reproduced below :-

(CAB. DO NO. 3/8/88-IS-3281 DT. 7.11.88.) (Annexure T-32)

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2. ".......preliminary reports indicate that some of those who had participated in the recent raid by a group/mercenaries on the Maldives in order to overthrow the Government of President Gayoom belong to the People's Liberation Organisation for Tamil Eelam (PLOT) which came into existence in 1980 following differences within the LTTE. While there is so far no evidence of the involvement of the PLOT as an organisation in the recent events in the Maldives, some elements belonging to the PLOT would appear to have been involved.

3. PLOT is led by Uma Maheshwaran @ Mukundan. It has a political front called the Democratic People's Liberation Front headed by Siddarthan as President and one Ram as Secretary. The PLOT is presently reportedly facing differences within the leadership with the one section of the leaders like Siddarthan and Vetrichelvan advocating a pro-India stance while others like Uma Maheshwaran himself advocate a tilt towards the Sri Lankan Government. Its main source of income in the past was from the smuggling of drugs and it has links with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Ever since his return to Colombo in October 1987, Uma Maheshwaran has maintained closed links with the Sri Lankan authorities particularly with Lalith Athulathmudali the minister for National Security, and it is generally believed that despite its overt stance of supporting the cause of Tamils, it is allowing itself to be used by the Sri Lankan authorities as a tool to serve their interests.

4. Because of the assistance rendered by the Govt. of India to the Government of President Gayoom in dealing with the mercenaries, security arrangements during the PM's forthcoming visit to Tamil Nadu would have to take into account the possibility of any reprisal attempts by supporters/sympathisers of the PLOT who may be in South India as well as from any anti-Gayoom elements amongst Maldivian students studying in South India. ....."

Extremist Sinhala elements and hostile sections of Sri Lankan government

4.30 After the signing of the Indo Sri Lankan Accord, Intelligence Agencies had identified certain Sinhala extremist elements of Sri Lanka which were likely to pose a threat to then Prime Minister Shri. Rajiv Gandhi. The fanatic Sinhala organisations, who were perceived to be in the forefront of anti- Rajiv Gandhi campaign in Sri Lanka were Janavadi Vimukti Paramuna (JVP) and the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) as well as Sinhala chauvinistic elements of the ruling UNP owing allegiance to leaders like the former Prime Minister Premadasa and Cyril Mathews. The JVP had, all along, been strongly opposed to the presence of the IPKF in Sri Lanka and to the proposed merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces. In protest, the organisation was indulging in violent activities in Southern Sri Lanka and campaigning against the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. In one notable instance in August 1987, the JVP exploded a bomb in a high-security area where President Jayawardene was holding a meeting with his Cabinet colleagues. Some of the JVP elements were suspected to be in contact with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which had also been strongly opposed to the Indo- Sri Lanka accord.

4.31 The Buddhist clergy in Sri Lanka had shown a readiness to adopt violent means, if necessary, to have its point of view enforced. Members of the Buddhist clergy had often played a role in instigating acts of violence against the Tamils and other non-Buddhist segments of the local population. The Buddhist clergy has been strongly opposed to the Indo-Sri Lanka agreement and to the continuance of the IPKF in the Northern and Eastern provinces.

4.32 On the occasion of the proposed visit of Shri. Rajiv Gandhi to Sri Lanka during 1988, our Intelligence agencies apprehended a threat (Annexure T-18)also from some sections of the local administration, security forces and intelligence agencies, which had been harbouring an unfavourable attitude towards India lately due to the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and with the continued presence of the IPKF in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.

After the induction of the IPKF in Sri Lanka, during the early phases, it was reported that 250 army privates and some officers had been taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Military Police and detained in an army prison on allegations that they had openly been criticising the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and portraying the JVP in a favourable light and appealing to the army personnel to join the JVP. They had also been reportedly promoting the image of Premdasa, Lalith Athulathmudali and Mrs. Bandaranayike.

4.33 After Premadasa became the President of Sri Lanka and initiated talks with the LTTE in 1989, several intelligence reports were received showing collusion between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government. This aspect, which pertains to those terms of reference of the Commission which are not under consideration at this stage, is only being touched upon here due to its limited relevance to Shri. Rajiv Gandhi's threat perception from these quarters. Intelligence reports of 1989 indicated that the collusion between the Sri Lankan Government and LTTE became discernible since September, 1989. This collusion significantly included supply of arms and ammunition by Sri Lankan Government to the LTTE to fight the IPKF and the rival factions including the elected EPRLF Government in NE provinces, use of Sri Lankan Army helicopters to transport arms etc. and support in setting up LTTE bases in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.

These developments in Sri Lanka were rightly perceived as having adirect bearing on threat perception to the security of Shri. Rajiv Gandhi.

(UO NOTE NO.3/5/88-VS-DATED 21.07.1988)( Exh. CGW 152, R&AW UO No. 1/17-A/89 SLM 346 - 6059 dt. 24 Nov. 1989)(Annexure 

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