Mahattaya

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Gopalaswamy Mahendraraja (1956-1994), better known by his nom de guerre Mahattaya was a Sri Lankan Tamil militant, who was at one time a leading member of the LTTE. Mahattaya joined the LTTE in 1978. In 1987 he became the deputy leader of the LTTE, and in 1989 he became the head of the short-lived People's Front of Liberation Tigers, a political party founded by the LTTE.

He fell out of favour shortly thereafter, because he was suspected of setting himself as a rival to the LTTE founder and leader and his cousin, Velupillai Prabhakaran. He was relieved of both posts in 1992. In 1993, the LTTE took him into custody and accused him of collaborating with RAW, the Indian security agency, and betraying LTTE secrets to India. He was killed on 28 December 1994.