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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Shankar Rajee
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = ta
| image = Shankar Rajee.jpg
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| caption =
| birth_name = N. Thirunesan
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1949|11|11|df=yes}}
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|2005|01|10|1949|11|11|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| nationality =
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| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Engineer
| years_active =
| organization = [[Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students]]
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}}
'''Nesadurai Thirunesan''' (11 November 1949 – 10 January 2005; commonly known by the nom-de-guerre '''Shankar Rajee''') was a [[Sri Lankan Tamil people|Sri Lankan Tamil]] militant and one of the founders of the [[Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students]].

==Early life==
Thirunesan was born on 11 November 1949.<ref name=TN>{{cite web|title=Struggle for Tamil Eelam: Shankar Rajee - Founder-member of EROS|url=http://tamilnation.co/tamileelam/shankarrajee.htm|publisher=Tamil Nation}}</ref> He was from [[Urumpirai]] in northern [[Dominion of Ceylon|Ceylon]].<ref name=Meadows>{{cite news|last1=Meadows|first1=Mark Stephen|title=Tea With Terrorist|url=http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2009/06/we-took-some-tea-as-symbol.html|work=Sri Lanka Guardian|date=29 June 2009}}</ref> He was the son of Manickam Nesadurai and Potkodi.<ref name=TT0205>{{cite journal|title=Obituaries|journal=[[Tamil Times]]|date=February 2005|volume=XXIV|issue=2|page=36|url=http://noolaham.net/project/37/3645/3645.pdf|issn=0266-4488}}</ref><ref name=DN130105>{{cite news|title=Obituaries|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2005/01/13/obits.html|work=[[Daily News (Sri Lanka)]]|date=13 January 2005}}</ref> Thirunesan grew up in the Ceylonese capital [[Colombo]].<ref name=Meadows/> He and his family were victims of the [[1958 riots in Ceylon|1958 riots]].<ref name=Meadows/> The family, like many of the Tamil victims of the riots, were shipped off to the northern Tamil areas of the country.<ref name=Meadows/> In 1966 the family decided to move back to Colombo but Thirunesan didn't want to go, choosing instead to go to study in the UK.<ref name=Meadows/> In [[London]] he studied agricultural engineering and automobile engineering.<ref name=Meadows/>

Thirunesan married Nirmala (Rani).<ref name=TT0205/><ref name=DN130105/> They had one son, Nesan and two daughters, Rajini and Niranjini.<ref name=TT0205/><ref name=DN130105/>

==Militant==
Thirunesan worked as an engineer for [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] in London.<ref name=TH110105>{{cite news|last1=Sambandan|first1=V. S.|title=EROS founder member dead|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2005/01/11/stories/2005011101701400.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160115015028/http://www.thehindu.com/2005/01/11/stories/2005011101701400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 January 2016|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=11 January 2005}}</ref> Whilst in London, Thirunesan, along with [[V. Balakumaran]], [[Balanadarajah Iyer]] and [[E. Ratnasabapathy]], founded the [[Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students]] (EROS), one of the earliest [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups|Tamil militant groups]], in 1975.<ref name=TH110105/> Thirunesan took on the [[nom-de-guerre]] Shankar Rajee. As head of EROS' military wing, Shankar Rajee established contact with [[Palestinian militant groups]] and arranged for prominent Tamil militants, such as [[Uma Maheswaran]], to receive military training from the Palestinians.<ref name=TH110105/> He was on the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]’s Most Wanted List and took part in the October 1984 bombing in Colombo, the first bombing in Colombo during the Sri Lankan civil war.<ref name=Meadows/> Shankar Rajee represented EROS at the India-mediated peace talks in [[Thimpu]] in 1985.<ref name=TH110105/>

==Paramilitary==
Following the withdrawal of the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]] from Sri Lanka in 1990 and the eruption of [[Eelam War II|war]] the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]], the main Tamil militant group, ordered the EROS to disband or join the LTTE. Balakumaran, the EROS leader, and most EROS members chose to join the LTTE.<ref name=TH110105/><ref name=TN071298>{{cite news|title=EROS files nominations for PC elections|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=2443|work=[[TamilNet]]|date=7 December 1998}}</ref> Other EROS members left Sri Lanka but a few, led by Shankar Rajee and Sudha Master, chose to continue running the EROS from the relative safety of the Sri Lankan capital [[Colombo]].<ref name=TN071298/> EROS transformed itself into pro-government, anti-LTTE paramilitary group and a political party.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Parashar|first1=Swati|title=Women and Militant Wars: The Politics of Injury|date=2014|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=9781134116065|page=78|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YoH8AgAAQBAJ}}</ref> It formed alliances with other government backed paramilitary groups such as the [[Eelam People's Democratic Party]] (EPDP).<ref name=TN071298/>

Shankar Rajee lived in [[Madras]], India so Sudha Master ran the EROS operations in Colombo.<ref name=TN071298/> Shankar Rajee was arrested in Madras 1997 for smuggling foreign currency out of India and spent a year in jail.<ref name=TN/><ref name=TN071298/> After returning to Sri Lanka he served as a "consultant" to the state-owned Sri Lanka Cashew Corporation which comes under the control of government minister [[Douglas Devananda]], leader of the EPDP.<ref name=TN/><ref>{{cite news|last1=de Silva|first1=Neville|title=Tamil Community shocked by another abduction revelation|url=http://asiantribune.com/news/2005/12/19/tamil-community-shocked-another-abduction-revelation|work=[[Asian Tribune]]|date=19 December 2005}}</ref>

Shankar Rajee died on 10 January 2005 as a result of a massive heart attack.<ref name=TT0205/><ref name=DN130105/><ref name=TH110105/><ref name=TN100105>{{cite news|title=Shankar Raji dies|url=http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=13931|work=[[TamilNet]]|date=10 January 2005}}</ref> The EROS leadership was taken over by his son Nesan (aka Nesan Shankar Rajee).<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Lansford|editor1-first=Tom|title=Political Handbook of the World 2015|date=2015|publisher=CQ Press|isbn=1483371557|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yNGfBwAAQBAJ}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shankar Rajee}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students militants]]
[[Category:People from Northern Province, Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil engineers]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil rebels]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan expatriates in India]]

Shankar Rajee - Revision history

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