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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable|Hon.]]
|name = V. Yogeswaran
|native_name = வி. யோகேஸ்வரன்
|native_name_lang = ta
|honorific-suffix = [[Member of Parliament|MP]]
|image = Vettivelu Yogeswaran.jpg
|imagesize =
|constituency_MP1 = [[Jaffna Electoral District (1947–1989)|Jaffna]]
|parliament1 = Sri Lankan
|majority1 =
|term_start1 = 1977
|term_end1 = 1983
|predecessor1 = [[C. X. Martyn]]
|successor1 =
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1934|02|05|df=yes}}
|birth_place =
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1989|07|13|1934|02|05|df=yes}}
|death_place = [[Colombo]], [[Sri Lanka]]
|citizenship =
|nationality =
|party = [[Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi]]
|otherparty = [[Tamil United Liberation Front]]
|spouse = [[Sarojini Yogeswaran]]
|partner =
|relations =
|children =
|residence =
|alma_mater =
|occupation =
|profession = Lawyer
|website =
|footnotes =
|blank1 = Ethnicity
|data1 = [[Sri Lankan Tamil people|Sri Lankan Tamil]]
}}
'''Vettivelu Yogeswaran''' ({{lang-ta|வெற்றிவேலு யோகேஸ்வரன்}}; 5 February 1934 – 13 July 1989) was a [[Sri Lankan Tamil people|Sri Lankan Tamil]] lawyer, politician and [[Member of Parliament]].

==Early life and family==
Yogeswaran was born 5 February 1934.<ref>{{cite web|title=Directory of Past Members: Yogeswaran, Vettivelu|url=http://www.parliament.lk/en/members-of-parliament/directory-of-past-members/viewMember/2844|publisher=[[Parliament of Sri Lanka]]}}</ref><ref name=DM080214>{{cite news|last1=Jeyaraj|first1=D. B. S.|author-link1=|title=Vettivelu Yogeswaran Darling of Tamil Youth who became Jaffna MP|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/42800/vettivelu-yogeswaran-darling-of-tamil-youth-who-became-jaffna-mp|work=[[The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)]]|date=8 February 2014}}</ref> He was the son of Shanmugam Appakkutti Vettivelu, a medical doctor from [[Jaffna]] in northern [[British Ceylon|Ceylon]], and Parasakthi.<ref name=DM080214/><ref name=Arumugam>{{cite book|last=Arumugam|first=S.|title=Dictionary of Biography of the Tamils of Ceylon|url=http://www.noolaham.org/wiki/index.php?title=Dictionary_of_Biography_of_the_Tamils_of_Ceylon|year=1997|page=253|author-link=S. Arumugam}}</ref> He was educated at [[St. John's College, Jaffna]], [[St. Patrick's College, Jaffna]] and [[Ananda College]].<ref name=Arumugam/> After school he enrolled at the [[Ceylon Law College]] before going to the United Kingdom to study law.<ref name=DM080214/><ref name=Arumugam/> Whilst in UK he was an active member of the [[National Union of Students (United Kingdom)|National Union of Students]], Anti Apartheid League and president of the UK branch of the Ceylon Tamil Overseas League.<ref name=Arumugam/>

Yogeswaran married [[Sarojini Yogeswaran|Sarojini]], daughter of Ponnambalam.<ref name=DM080214/><ref name=Arumugam/>

==Career==
After returning to Ceylon Yogeswaran resumed his studies at Ceylon Law College, qualifying as an [[advocate]].<ref name=DM080214/> He then started [[Practice of law|practising law]] in Jaffna.<ref name=DM080214/><ref name=Arumugam/>

Yogeswaran was an active member of the [[Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi]] (Federal Party) and its youth wing.<ref name=DM080214/><ref name=Rajasingham39>{{cite book|last=Rajasingham|first=K. T.|title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DE11Df02.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020515215711/http://atimes.com/ind-pak/DE11Df02.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=2002-05-15|chapter=Chapter 39: Amirthalingham eliminated}}</ref> On 14 May 1972 the ITAK, [[All Ceylon Tamil Congress]], [[Ceylon Workers' Congress]], Eelath Thamilar Otrumai Munnani and All Ceylon Tamil Conference formed the [[Tamil United Front]], later renamed [[Tamil United Liberation Front]] (TULF).<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Ross|editor1-first=Russell R.|editor2-last=Savada|editor2-first=Andrea Matles|title=Sri Lanka : A Country Study|date=1990|publisher=[[Library of Congress]]|page=51|url=http://cdn.loc.gov/master/frd/frdcstdy/sr/srilankacountrys00ross/srilankacountrys00ross.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Chattopadhyaya|first1=Haraprasad|title=Ethnic Unrest in Modern Sri Lanka: An Account of Tamil-Sinhalese Race Relations|date=1994|publisher=M. D. Publications|isbn=81-85880-52-2|page=33|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MRU6QKPBTFQC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Amarasinghe|first1=Samanga|title=Independence to Referendum|date=2011|publisher=Lulu Enterprises|isbn=978-1-105-01908-1|page=188|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iV6AAwAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Rajasingham|first=K. T.|title=Sri Lanka: The Untold Story|url=http://www.atimes.com/ind-pak/DA19Df06.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020213084644/http://atimes.com/ind-pak/DA19Df06.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=2002-02-13|chapter=Chapter 23: Srimavo's constitutional promiscuity}}</ref> A keen supporter of TULF, Yogeswaran was a member of its Action Committee and in charge of youth affairs.<ref name=DM080214/><ref name=Arumugam/> He stood as the TULF's candidate in [[Jaffna Electoral District (1947–1989)|Jaffna]] at the [[1977 Sri Lankan parliamentary election|1977 parliamentary election]]. He won the election and entered [[Parliament of Sri Lanka|Parliament]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/General%20Election%201977.PDF|title=Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977|publisher=Department of Elections, Sri Lanka|access-date=2013-03-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717002624/http://www.slelections.gov.lk/pdf/General%20Election%201977.PDF|archive-date=2011-07-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Yogeswaran's house in Jaffna was burnt down on the night of 31 May 1981 by a mob of [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] policemen and paramilitaries.<ref name=Arumugam/><ref name=Pyromaniacs1>{{cite web|last1=Sachi Sri Kantha|first1=Sachi Sri Kantha|author-link1=Sachi Sri Kantha|title=Perversity of Pyromaniacs: Part 1 - Revisiting the June 1981 Torching of Jaffna|url=http://sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/06-04_Torching_Jaffna_1.php?print=sangam|publisher=Ilankai Tamil Sangam}}</ref><ref name=Pyromaniacs3>{{cite web|last1=Sachi Sri Kantha|first1=Sachi Sri Kantha|author-link1=Sachi Sri Kantha|title=Perversity of Pyromaniacs: Part 3 - V. Yogeswaran's Speech on the Torching of Jaffna in May-June 1981|url=http://www.sangam.org/taraki/articles/2006/06-04_Torching_Jaffna_3.php?print=sangam|publisher=Ilankai Tamil Sangam}}</ref> Yogeswaran and his wife managed to escape by jumping over their back walls.<ref name=Pyromaniacs1/><ref name=Pyromaniacs3/>

Yogeswaran and all other TULF MPs boycotted Parliament from the middle of 1983 for a number of reasons: they were under pressure from [[Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups|Sri Lankan Tamil militants]] not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to the [[Constitution of Sri Lanka]] required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a [[Tamil Eelam|separate state]]; and the [[Black July]] riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were killed by Sinhalese mobs. After three months of absence, Yogeswaran forfeited his seat in Parliament on 22 October 1983.<ref>{{cite news|last=Wickramasinghe|first=Wimal|title=Saga of crossovers, expulsions and resignations etc. Referendum for {{sic|exten|tion|nolink=y}} of Parliament|url=http://www.island.lk/2008/01/18/features11.html|newspaper=[[The Island (Sri Lanka)]]|date=18 January 2008}}</ref>

Yogeswaran and his family, like many families of leading Tamil politicians, fled to [[Madras]] (now Chennai), [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref name=Rajasingham39/><ref name=DM190714>{{cite news|last1=Jeyaraj|first1=D. B. S.|author-link1=|title=Tamil Leader Appapillai Amirthalingam’s assassination by the LTTE 25 Years Ago|url=http://www.dailymirror.lk/opinion/dbsjeyaraj-column/49900-tamil-leader-appapillai-amirthalingams-assassination-by-the-ltte-25-years-ago.html|work=[[The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)]]|date=19 July 2014}}</ref> Yogeswaran later returned to Jaffna after getting permission from the rebel [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE) but was kept under virtual house arrest by them until the arrival of the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]] in July 1987.<ref name=Rajasingham39/><ref name=DM190714/> Yogeswaran then moved to [[Colombo]] and lived with relatives at Kotelawela Terrace, [[Bambalapitiya]].<ref name=DM190714/> His wife then joined him in Colombo.<ref name=DM190714/> Yogeswaran and his wife moved into a house in Bullers Road (Baudhaloka Mawatha) in the [[Cinnamon Gardens]] area of Colombo.<ref name=DM190714/> The house was shared with other leading TULF politicians ([[A. Amirthalingam]], [[M. Sivasithamparam]] and [[Mavai Senathirajah]]) and their families.<ref name=Rajasingham39/><ref name=DM190714/>

===Assassination===
In effort to bring about unity amongst the Tamils, Yogeswaran made contact with the LTTE and met with them several times.<ref name=Rajasingham39/> He arranged a meeting between the LTTE and the TULF leaders at their Bullers Road residence.<ref name=Rajasingham39/> At around 6.45 pm on 13 July 1989 three men, Peter Leon Aloysius (alias Vigna), Rasiah Aravintharaja (alias Visuwesvaran/Visu) and Sivakumar (alias Arivu), arrived at the residence.<ref name=DM190714/><ref name=TT0789>{{cite journal|title=TULF Leaders Assassinated|journal=[[Tamil Times]]|date=July 1989|volume=VIII|issue=8|pages=3–4|url=http://noolaham.net/project/34/3324/3324.pdf|issn=0266-4488}}</ref> The police guards allowed the trio to enter the premises without searching them.<ref name=DM190714/><ref name=TT0789/> Vigna and Visu went upstairs to the Yogeswaran/Sivasithamparam residence whilst Arivu remained outside.<ref name=DM190714/><ref name=TT0789/> The two men met with Yogeswaran, Amirthalingam and Sivasithamparam.<ref name=TN160308>{{cite news|last1=Jeyaraj|first1=D. B. S.|author-link1=|title=Assassinating Tamil Parliamentarians: The unceasing waves|url=http://www.nation.lk/2008/03/16/newsfe1.htm|work=[[The Nation (Sri Lanka)]]|date=16 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220083850/http://www.nation.lk/2008/03/16/newsfe1.htm|archive-date=20 February 2014}}</ref> The meeting seemed to be going well when suddenly Visu pulled out a gun and shot Amirthalingam in the head and chest.<ref name=DM190714/> Yogeswaran stood up but was shot by Aloysius.<ref name=DM190714/> Visu then shot Sivasithamparam on the right shoulder.<ref name=DM190714/> A shoot out ensued between the LTTE trio and the police guards in which all three assailants were killed.<ref name=DM190714/><ref name=TN160308/> Amirthalingam and Yogeswaran were dead but Sivasithamparam survived.<ref name=DM190714/><ref name=TT0789/><ref name=TN160308/>

==See also==
* [[List of assassinations of the Sri Lankan Civil War]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yogeswaran, V.}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Ananda College]]
[[Category:Alumni of Ceylon Law College]]
[[Category:Alumni of St. John's College, Jaffna]]
[[Category:Alumni of St. Patrick's College, Jaffna]]
[[Category:Assassinated Sri Lankan politicians]]
[[Category:Ceylonese advocates]]
[[Category:Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the 8th Parliament of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:People from Jaffna]]
[[Category:People killed during the Sri Lankan Civil War]]
[[Category:People of British Ceylon]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Hindus]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil lawyers]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil politicians]]
[[Category:Tamil United Liberation Front politicians]]
[[Category:Indian Peace Keeping Force]]

V. Yogeswaran - Revision history

Bot: robot: Create/update articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.