Early life

Alalasundaram was from Nayanmarkaddu near Nallur

Nallur (Jaffna)

Nallur , , is a small holy town within the present day city of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. It is located 3 km away from the colour and bustle of Jaffna Town. Originally known by its Royal term "Singai Nagar", Nallur formerly functioned as the capital of the ancient Jaffna kingdom for many years during...

 in northern British Ceylon

British Ceylon

British Ceylon refers to British rule prior to 1948 of the island territory now known as Sri Lanka.-From the Dutch to the British:Before the beginning of the Dutch governance, the island of Ceylon was divided between the Portuguese Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy, who were in the midst of a war for...

. He studied in Madras and after graduation became a teacher.

Political career

Alalasundaram was the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi

Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi

Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi is a Sri Lankan political party which represents the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minority in the country. It was originally formed in 1949 as breakaway faction of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress...

 (Federal Party) candidate for Kilinochchi

Kilinochchi Electoral District

Kilinochchi Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between March 1960 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Kilinochchi in Kilinochchi District, Northern Province. The district was carved out of the southern part of Chavakacheri Electoral District in March...

 at the 1970 parliamentary election but was defeated by the All Ceylon Tamil Congress

All Ceylon Tamil Congress

All Ceylon Tamil Congress , is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka.-History:The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam. Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament...

 candidate. In 1972 the ITAK, ACTC and others formed the Tamil United Front (later renamed Tamil United Liberation Front

Tamil United Liberation Front

The Tamil United Liberation Front is a political party in Sri Lanka which seeks independence for the Tamil-populated areas of Sri Lanka.-Formation:...

). In March 1981 S. Kathiravelupillai, the TULF MP for Kopay

Kopay Electoral District

Kopay Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between August 1947 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Kopay in Jaffna District, Northern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing...

, died and Alalasundaram was nominated by the TULF as his replacement. Alalasundaram entered Parliament

Parliament of Ceylon

The Parliament of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon established in 1947 by the Soulbury Constitution, prior to independence on 4 February 1948...

 after being sworn in on 23 July 1981. Alalasundaram 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 militants

Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups

Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups rose to prominence in the 1970s to fight the state of Sri Lanka in order to create an independent Tamil Eelam in the north of Sri Lanka. They rose in response to the perception amongst minority Sri Lankan Tamils that the state was preferring the majority Sinhalese...

 not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka

Constitution of Sri Lanka

The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has been the constitution of the island nation of Sri Lanka since its original promulgation by the National State Assembly on 7 September 1978. It is Sri Lanka's second republican constitution, and its third constitution since the...

 required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a separate state

Tamil Eelam

Tamil Eelam , is the name given by certain Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora to the independent state which they aspire to create in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Tamil Eelam has no official status or recognition by any other state or authority...

; and the Black July

Black July

Black July is the commonly used name for the anti-Tamil pogrom and attacks carried out by mobs in Sri Lanka which began on July 23, 1983. The riots occurred following a deadly ambush by a Tamil militant organization known as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam which killed 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers...

 riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered by Sinhalese

Sinhalese people

The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...

 mobs. After three months of absence, Alalasundaram forfeited his seat in Parliament on 5 January 1984. Many leading Tamil politicians fled to Madras but Alalasundaram was one of the few who remained in Sri Lanka. He stayed at his house near Nallur documenting the growing violence.

Assassination

On the night of 2/3 September 1985 two men went to the house of Alalasundaram at Kalliyankadu, Nallur and kidnapped him at gun point. They took Alalasundaram in a car and drove to Uduvil

Uduvil

Uduvil is an agricultural village of about 32.7 square kilometers situated along the KKS Road at about five miles to the North of Jaffna city, Sri Lanka. It is surrounded by the villages Chunnaakam, Kantharoodai, Sanguveeli, Maanippaay, Suthumalai and Inuvil...

 where V. Dharmalingam, former MP for Manipay, was attending a wedding. The men then kidnapped Dharmalingam as well. The next day Alalasundaram's body was found in a scrub jungle near his home at Kalliyankadu with bullet wounds in the chest and arm. Dharmalingam's body was found at a cemetery in Thavady

Thavady

Thavady is a small village in Jaffna in Northern Sri Lanka. The area is populated by people who speak Tamil....

, Manipay

Manipay

Manipay or Maanippaai is an affluent town in the northern Jaffna District of Sri Lanka. The original name of Manipay is Periya pulam. It was a mission location when the American Ceylon Mission came to Sri Lanka in the 19th century. Dr. Samuel Fisk Green founded the Green Memorial Hospital in 1864...

, with a bullet wound in the forehead.

No one claimed responsibility for the murders. Dharmalingam's son Siddhartan, who is a member of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam

People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam

The People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam is a former Tamil militant group. It is currently a pro-government paramilitary group and political party. PLOTE's political wing is known as the Democratic People's Liberation Front.-Origins:...

 militant group, blamed one of the members of Eelam National Liberation Front

Eelam National Liberation Front

The Eelam National Liberation Front was a short-lived umbrella organisation for leading Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups.-Formation:In April 1984 M...

 for the murders (PLOTE wasn't a member of ENLF). The Sri Lankan government blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...

 for the murders. It is now widely believed that the murders were carried out by Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization

Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization

The Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization is an Eelam Tamil organisation campaigning for the establishment of an independent Tamil Eelam in the northeast of Sri Lanka. The TELO was originally created as a militant group, and functioned as such until 1986, when most of its membership was killed in a...

, an Indian backed militant group, on the orders of the Research and Analysis Wing

Research and Analysis Wing

The Research and Analysis Wing is India's external intelligence agency. It was formed in September 1968 after the poor performance of the Intelligence Bureau in the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the India-Pakistani war of 1965 convinced the then government of India that a specialized, independent...

, the Indian intelligence agency. Alalasundaram was close to the TELO and a relative of its leader Sri Sabaratnam. It is believed that TELO chose to murder Alalasundaram at the same time as Dharmalingam so as to avoid suspicion.