Easter bombings conspiracy theories and importance of Azad Maulana’s testimony

The coordinated suicide bomber attacks by a group of misguided Muslim zealots against three churches and four luxury hotels in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa on Easter Sunday (21 April) in 2019 brought in its wake several conspiracy theories. Chief among these was the one which suspected that an official or officials of Sri Lanka’s intelligence services had manipulated the Muslim youths into launching the attacks with the objective of facilitating the return to power of former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President. 269 persons including 45 foreigners were killed and over 500 injured in the attack.

This conspiracy theory received a tremendous boost in 2023 when Britain’s Channel 4 TV aired the documentary “Sri Lanka’s Easter bombings” in its “Dispatches” program on Tuesday 5 September 2023. Tamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal (TMVP) leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyaan’s former secretary and ex-TMVP spokesperson Mohammed Milhilar Mohammed Hanzeer alias Azad Maulana was the whistleblower who made the controversial disclosures about his erstwhile boss.

The Oxford dictionary defines a whistleblower as a “source who makes public information about alleged wrongdoing, typically by or within the organisation in which they are employed. A person blowing the whistle to journalists”. The Cambridge dictionary describes a whistleblower as “a person who tells someone in authority about something illegal that is happening, especially in a government department or a company.”

Whistleblower Azad Maulana (spelled as Mowlana and Moulana also) hailing from Maruthamunai in the Eastern Province, fled to Europe and sought political asylum in Switzerland. Azad Maulana alleged that Pillaiyaan and former State Intelligence Service chief Maj-Gen Suresh Sallay had links with the Easter bombers and were involved in the conspiracy. Both Pillaiyaan and Sallay immediately denied the allegations. 

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa too responded to the allegations made by Azad Maulana by issuing a public statement. In that statement Gotabaya pointed out that the Channel 4 TV allegation that the Easter bombings were perpetrated to bring him (Gota) to power rested primarily on the charges made by Azad Maulana. The following are excerpts from that statement:

“The central allegation made in the latest film on Sri Lanka broadcast by Channel 4 is that the Easter Sunday suicide bombings of 21 April 2019 carried out by Islamic extremists had been deliberately facilitated in order to create the conditions to get me elected to power in November 2019.”

“This charge hinges on claims made by one Hanzeer Azad Maulana, an applicant for political asylum in Europe, that he had introduced Maj General Suresh Sallay (who is best known for his past role as the Director of Military Intelligence) to the principal suicide bomber Zaharan and his brother Zainee Moulavi in February 2018.”

Easter bombings excitement

Currently there is a lot of excitement in Sri Lanka about the Easter bombings of 2019. The arrest and detention of TMVP leader Pillaiyaan under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the daily pronouncements by Government ministers that Pillaiyaan is revealing details about the 21 April 2019 attacks is enhancing this excitement further. Some even portray Pillaiyaan as the mastermind behind the Easter bombings.

At the same time there is growing realisation that the allegations made by Azad Maulana would be worthless in practical terms in a court of law until and unless Azad Maulana himself backs it up by testifying himself in a Sri Lankan tribunal and being cross examined by lawyers. He could do this from afar by electronic methods too. Hence many people especially some representatives of the Catholic Church are now demanding that Azad Maulana should be questioned or probed on what he has told the UK Channel 4 TV.

The problem here is that Azad Maulana is not willing to cooperate with the Sri Lankan Judicial system alone. He is willing to testify only before an Independent International Investigation. Last week’s article by this writer in the “Political Pulse” column focussed in detail on the statements made by Azad Maulana in Channel 4 and at a public meeting in Geneva. In those, Azad Maulana clarified his viewpoint explicitly. This is what he said: “As a witness to the planning of several terrorist attacks, political assassinations and kidnappings in Sri Lanka, I am willing to testify in investigations into these crimes. I do not believe, however, that the authorities in Sri Lanka have an interest in revealing the truth. I will therefore only bear witness before an international independent investigation.”

With the importance of Azad Maulana’s testimony – to prove or disprove the “Easter bombings for Gota victory” conspiracy theory – being increasingly recognised, there is much interest about the personality and personal history of Azad Maulana. Several readers have also requested more information. It is against this backdrop that this column revisits the past history of the man known as Azad Maulana this week with the aid of previous writings.

Mohammed Milhilar Mohammed Hanzeer

The man known as Hanzeer Azad Maulana hails from Maruthamunai in the Eastern Province. Maruthamunai is a predominantly Muslim coastal town about 360 km from Colombo. It is part of the Kalmunai electoral division within the Amparai district. Hanzeer’s father was Mohammed Aliyar Mohammed Mihilar. Hanzeer’s given name is Mohammed Milhilar Mohammed Hanzeer. Azad Maulana is not his real name. It was a nom de guerre he adopted after joining the Thamil Makkal Viduthalap Puligal (TMVP).

Hanzeer’s father Mihilar was left-oriented in his political thinking. He also got along well with members of the Tamil community especially those from the adjacent Tamil village Paandiruppu. The Tamil militant organisation Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation front (EPRLF) had a strong presence in Paandiruppu. This led to Mihilar becoming a member of the EPRLF even before the 1983 July anti-Tamil pogrom.

Hanzeer hated the LTTE which murdered his father in Madras. He also regarded the LTTE which massacred Muslims in cold blood at various places in the east and chased away the Northern Muslims at gun point as a fascist entity. Since the TMVP had split from the LTTE and was combatting it, Hanzeer agreed to work with the TMVP. This was his way of seeking vengeance for his father 

EPRLF’s Mihilar alias Kamalan

After “Black July” Mihilar received arms training at the EPRLF camp in Kumbakoanam, Tamil Nadu. Mihilar was given the nom de guerre “Kamalan” by the EPRLF. Thereafter he worked for the EPRLF in the Amparai district and was appointed to the Central Committee. The Indo-Lanka accord of 1987 brought about the Provincial Councils scheme through the 13th Constitutional Amendment. Unlike the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) the EPRLF backed the Indo-Lanka accord and cooperated fully with India to hold Provincial elections in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The EPRLF contested the first elections to the North-Eastern Provincial council comprising both the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Mihilar himself was a candidate. He also campaigned actively for the EPRLF. The EPRLF along with the newly created Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF) formed the first administration of the merged North-East Provincial Council. Mihilar however was not elected to the first and only N-E PC.

Annamalai Varatharajapperumal became the first chief minister of the North-Eastern Provincial Council. Mihilar went to Trincomalee and worked as an official at the Provincial Council office. Things changed after the Indian army was withdrawn in 1990 March. Fearing a massacre at the hands of the LTTE, most of the EPRLF frontliners fled to India. Mihilar was one of them.

Kanthasamy Padmanabha the amiable Secretary-General of the EPRLF along with many cadres moved to the Orissa (now Odisha) state. Mihilar too went to Odisha and served as one of Padmanabha’s bodyguards. The EPRLF continued to maintain its main office at Choolaimedu in Kodambakkam, Chennai.

On 19 June 1990, Padmanabha came to Chennai (then Madras). Mihilar too accompanied him. Padmanabha was at a flat in Zacharaiah Colony near the EPRLF office in Choolaimedu with some visiting EPRLF stalwarts from Sri Lanka when the LTTE struck. A Tiger squad led by Kiruban and one-eyed Sivarasan burst in and fired away. Padmanabha and 12 others were killed. Among those killed were North-Eastern Province Finance Minister Kirubaharan, Parliamentarian Yogasangary and Padmanabha’s bodyguard Mohammed Mihilar alias “Kamalan”.

Eldest son Hanzeer

Mihilar had four children, two girls and two boys. Eldest son Hanzeer born in 1983 was only seven when he lost his father. The family was in dire straits. The EPRLF in those days had a trust fund from which it helped the families of members killed by the armed forces or other militant groups like the LTTE. This financial aid was of great help to the family then. Subsequently Hanzeer’s mother married again.

Mohammed Hanzeer studied at the Maruthamunai Shams Madhya Maha Vidyalaya. He was a bright student who entered the Peradeniya University in 2003 to do a Bachelor’s degree course in agriculture. Having financial difficulties in pursuing higher studies, Hanzeer turned to Douglas Devananda for help. Douglas who had broken away from the EPRLF, was then the leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP).

Douglas Devananda

However Douglas Devananda had been the commander of the EPRLF’s military wing known as the People’s Liberation Army when he was in the EPRLF. Hanzeer’s father Mihilar/Kamalan was closely associated with Douglas. So when Mihilar’s son sought his help, the EPDP leader felt he had to help the son of his erstwhile comrade at arms.

The EPDP was then running a weekly paper called the “Thinamurasu”. Douglas gave Hanzeer a job at “Thinamurasu”. Hanzeer Mohammed was fluent in Tamil and English. He was well-read and was a very good writer in Tamil. He was also capable of translating from English to Tamil. So Mohammed Hanzeer began to work at Thinamurasu while pursuing his higher education at Peradeniya. Since he had lectures for only four days a week, Hanzeer would spend three days in Colombo working for Thinamurasu. He wrote political articles under pseudonyms and also translated news and articles from English into Tamil.

About two years later, Hanzeer dropped out of varsity and requested Douglas for a job. Devananda was then a cabinet minister. The Sri Lanka Cashew Corporation came under his purview. Former Amparai district MP Markandu Gunasekaran alias Shankar was the chairman of Cashew Corporation. Hanzeer was appointed as the chairman’s secretary. After some months Hanzeer resumed his studies again and eventually graduated. He had also studied Sinhala and was now trilingual.

Major split in LTTE

Meanwhile the LTTE underwent a major split in 2004 when its Eastern regional commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias “Col” Karuna revolted against Tiger supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran’s leadership. The breakaway group known for a long time as the LTTE Karuna faction, aligned itself with the Sri Lankan Government and its armed forces and intelligence services.

The Karuna faction with State backing took on the LTTE in the East. Karuna’s deputy Pillaiyaan (Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan) based himself in Batticaloa as field commander. A political party known as the Thamil Eelam Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal (TEMVP) was also formed. Later the name was changed to Thamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal (TMVP).

After Mahinda Rajapaksa became President in 2005 November, he appointed his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa as Defence Secretary. The new Defence Secretary utilised the TMVP in a big way in the war against the LTTE. The TMVP was given the green light to function openly as a politico-military outfit.

Tamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal

It was at this point that Mohammed Hanzeer’s life got completely transformed. He was summoned by Douglas Devananda for a meeting in April 2006. Douglas told Hanzeer about the Tamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal going to function independently as a political party. According to Douglas, Karuna’s group had come out of the LTTE and was now trying to proceed along the democratic path. The EPDP leader told Hanzeer that they must encourage them and said that the TMVP required the support and help of people like Hanzeer because the TMVP leadership lacked proficiency in English and Sinhala. Hanzeer was asked whether he would help the TMVP.

Hanzeer hated the LTTE which murdered his father in Madras. He also regarded the LTTE which massacred Muslims in cold blood at various places in the east and chased away the Northern Muslims at gun point as a fascist entity. Since the TMVP had split from the LTTE and was combatting it, Hanzeer agreed to work with the TMVP. This was his way of seeking vengeance for his father.

Thereafter a meeting was arranged by Devananda where Hanzeer met TMVP leader Karuna and deputy leader Pillayan. The meeting went off well. Both Karuna and Pillaiyaan took an instant liking to Hanzeer. It was arranged that a monthly stipend would be paid for services rendered. The amount agreed upon was in five figures. This was how Mohammed Hanzeer teamed up with the TMVP. 

Nom de guerre “Azad Maulana”

Initially Hanzeer had to adopt a nom de guerre. He was asked to choose a name for himself Hanzeer chose the name Azad Maulana. The name Maulana (some spell it as Moulana or Mowlana) means ‘our master’ and also refers to those regarded as descendants of the Prophet. In practice however those who are not descendants of the prophet also tend to use the name. Many add the name Seyyed or Zeyyed to it as a prefix.

In Sri Lanka there have been quite a few Muslim politicians with the name Maulana like former minister Alavi Moulana, former Batticaloa MP Ali Zaheer Moulana and ex -Senator Mashoor Moulana who like Hanzeer also was from Maruthamunai.

In Hanzeer’s case his choice of Azad Maulana was inspired by the great Indian educationist and freedom fighter Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who was generally known as Maulana Azad or Azad Maulana. Azad opposed the creation of Pakistan and was a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity. Since the TMVP membership was basically Hindu and Hanzeer a Muslim was going to work closely with Hindu comrades, the Muslim Hanzeer meaningfully chose the name Azad Maulana for himself.

Duties in the TMVP

Mohammed Hanzeer now known as Azad Maulana’s duties in the TMVP were three-fold. He had to work as a journalist on the Tamil fortnightly “Thamil Alai”. He had to teach young members of the TMVP the political history of Sri Lanka with particular emphasis on the ethnic crisis. Most importantly he was appointed the accredited spokesperson of the TMVP. Hanzeer was proficient in Tamil and English and reasonably fluent in Sinhala also.

Soon Azad Maulana became a public figure giving media interviews and conducting press conferences. He was also the public face of the TMVP. As time went on TMVP leader Karuna began to use Azad Maulana as an interpreter in dealings with the Government, Govt. officials, members of the armed forces and intelligence service personnel. Azad Maulana’s influence and importance grew and he became an integral part of the TMVP.

The TMVP asked him to move from his residence in Panadura to the two-storeyed TMVP office premises in Narahenpita. Apart from an increase in his monthly stipend, Azad Maulana was given two cellular phones and a motorcycle for his use by the TMVP. Also he was absorbed into the TMVP party hierarchy and made a Central Committee member. In addition to being the official spokesman, he was also appointed TMVP Media Secretary.

Latched on to Pillaiyaan

In 2007 there was an internal coup in the TMVP resulting in Karuna being ousted. Pillaiyaan became the new leader. Azad Maulana latched on to Pillaiyaan who also needed Azad’s services.

In 2008, elections were held to the Eastern Provincial Council. The TMVP contested as part of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). In an unexpected move Pillaiyaan became the first chief minister of the Eastern Province. Pillaiyaan appointed Azad Maulana as his coordinating secretary in addition to being the TMVP spokesperson cum media secretary.

Since Pillaiyaan needed Azad Maulana to aid him in communicating with non-Tamils, the young Muslim lad from Maruthamunai became indispensable to Pillaiyaan. Maulana was the “lamb” to Pillaiyaan’s “Mary”. As in the words of the nursery rhyme “Everywhere that Mary (Pillaiyaan) went, the lamb (Azad Maulana) was sure to go. Azad Maulana became Pillaiyaan’s right hand man and all-powerful. 

Pillaiyaan trusted the “Muslim” Hanzeer more than several of his “Tamil” deputies. This was resented by some. When the Sri Lankan intelligence was paying Rs. 35 lakhs every month to the TMVP, it was Maulana who collected it regularly on behalf of the TMVP. Large sums of TMVP money was also deposited at times in Hanzeer’s personal bank account.

When Pillaiyaan was incarcerated for more than five years over the killing of Batticaloa MP Joseph Pararajasingham, it was Azad who visited Pillaiyaan every Saturday with Court permission. Maulana conveyed what was happening within TMVP circles to Pillaiyaan and also passed on Pillaiyaan’s instructions to party members. Maulana also coordinated all legal work regarding Pillaiyaan’s case.

Seven digit income

Hanzeer also got married to Fathima, a relative of his from Panadura. They have a daughter Ayesha and a son Mubarak. The family resided in Ebenezer Place, Dehiwela. In addition to his duties as Pillaiyaan’s deputy, Maulana also dabbled in commercial pursuits like cycle assembling and wholesale distribution of drinking water. Utilising his political connections, Azad was also a “peddler of influence”. Maulana’s monthly income was reportedly in seven digits.

Everything seemed hunky-dory for Mohammed Hanzeer alias Azad Maulana. Yet his world came crashing down suddenly. Suspecting physical harm and feeling endangered, Azad Maulana decided to flee from Sri Lanka. What happened thereafter will be related in a forthcoming article.  

(The writer can be reached at [email protected].)