WORLD
He loathed the peace agreement signed by Sri Lanka and India strongly enough to strike former Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi with a rifle but today the former Lankan sailor makes a living selling Hindi music.
COLOMBO: He loathed the peace agreement signed by Sri Lanka and India strongly enough to strike former Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi with a rifle, but today the former Lankan sailor makes a living selling Hindi music.
Naval rating Wijemuni Vijitha Rohana de Silva slid into history 20 years ago today when he struck a heavy blow on Gandhi injuring his shoulder, as the Indian premier inspected a guard of honour in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
Now, much of his fire has been doused by the Bollywood tunes that he sells to customers at his shop in a busy shopping centre in the suburbs of Colombo.
"I sell very popular cassettes with Hindi songs," Rohana told the Nation newspaper here."I also enjoy these songs. I am a music lover."
Rohana was court-martialled and sentenced to six years in prison but he was released after two years of serving his term by former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, a strong criticof the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord entered into by his predecessor Junius Jayewardene on July 29, 1987.
The agreement brought Indian troops to Sri Lanka in August 1987 to quell Tamil separatism. Many Sri Lankans opposed the accord fearing it had been forced on Sri Lanka and would lead to greater Indian military involvement.
The anniversary of the signing of the agreement, which fell on Sunday, was marked in a low-key manner with troops engaged in an upsurge of fighting against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in recent months.
Rohana was a trooper stationed in the northern port of Karainagar, who saw six of his colleagues blown up by a Tamil rebel bomb. He said he was enraged that India had helped the Tamil Tiger separatists and had wanted to insult the Indian premier.
He claims he had nothing against Gandhi personally nor did he want to extract revenge from the Indian people.
"I only protested against Gandhi for helping the LTTE," he said, adding he had sent his condolences to Gandhi's family when the former Indian premier was assassinated in 1991 by a suspected LTTE suicide bomber.
Gandhi was assassinated by a Tiger suicide bomber in 1991.
Viral video: Man’s jugaad to stay warm in winter will leave you SHOCKED, watch here
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
Shloka Mehta looks stunning in white floral kurta as she clicked with Akash Ambani, it costs Rs....
Who is Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani's nephew, accused of bribery, fraud charges in US?
PayPal down: Several users face issue while logging into accounts, say 'no one could...'
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins eye historic captaincy milestone in Perth Test
BGT 2024, Ind vs Aus: Can Shubhman Gill be the new Cheteshwar Pujara? Is he really ready?
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Gifting: Discover Heirloom Pashmina by Pashmina.com
Effortless Relocations: The Perks Of Professional Removalists In Melbourne
Watch: Pakistan fan with 'Imran Khan' poster asked to leave Hobart stadium in Australia
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for...
What is demisexuality? Everything you need to know about this lesser-known sexual orientation
WATCH: World’s shortest woman meets world’s tallest woman, video goes viral
IND vs AUS 1st Test: Predicted playing XIs, Perth weather forecast and pitch report
IND vs AUS: When will Rohit Sharma join India squad? Check latest update
'Scam 2024': Diljit Dosanjh lookalike pranks people on Pune streets, video goes viral
Delhi Air Pollution: Centre announces staggered work timings for govt employees; check details
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio loses nearly 80 lakh subscribers in just 30 days, BSNL adds...
IND vs AUS, 1st Test Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Australia match
This country has most expensive passport in world, not US, UK, UAE, it costs Rs...
Amid rising air pollution, Delhi-NCR's crematorium records cleanest air; check AQI here
Revolutionising Medical Imaging: Venudhar Rao Hajari’s impact on healthcare technology
Abhishek Gupta and Onevision Media: Scaling brands on social media
Video shows Korean girl eating jalebi for first time, her reaction to Indian sweet goes viral
Cristiano Ronaldo confirms THIS YouTube star as his next guest, says, 'Will break Internet'
Delhi Assembly Elections: AAP releases first list of 11 candidates for 2025 polls
Adani Group's FIRST REACTION after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
Instagram introduces new feature, know how to reset app's algorithm, change your feed
Oppo Find X8 and X8 Pro launched in India, check specifications, price, other details
Charges against Gautam Adani: BJP's scathing attack on Congress, questions timing of development
Jasprit Bumrah's BIG statement on taking up Perth test captaincy, says, 'tactically better...'
Blackout on breaks: Company imposes no-sick-leave policy until 2025
Drug-laden terrorists on India's western, northern frontiers
Mohammad Shami trolls Sanjay Manjrekar over IPL auction bid prediction, says, 'Baba ki...'
IND vs AUS Test: When and where to watch 1st match of Border-Gavaskar trophy, know details here
CAQM amends Grap Stages III, IV, enforces stricter measures in Delhi-NCR amid air pollution woes
Malayalam actor Meghanathan passes away at 60 after suffering from...
Adani Green Energy's FIRST reaction after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
'Keep me out of...': Pakistani Instagram star Mathira on MMS leak controversy
Delhi Air Pollution: AQI marginally improves from 'severe' to 'very poor' category
'I love him, he loves me! Why hurt...': Rekha's bold confession about Amitabh Bachchan goes viral
Meet man, IITian who built Rs 5493 crore firm, has this Mukesh Ambani connection, he is from...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 21, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
‘I didn’t have time to…’: When AR Rahman revealed having ‘agreement’ before marriage to Saira Banu
Viral video: Woman's sizzling belly dance to 'Namak' impresses internet, watch
Hardik Pandya banned, Mumbai Indians captain to miss first match of IPL 2025 due to...
Meet man who studied at IIM, IIT, then built Rs 1160000000 company, got inspired by…
Meet woman, who quit as dentist for UPSC exam, became IAS officer with AIR...
Viral video: Little girl steals hearts with her adorable dance to 'o meri cutie', watch
Gautam Adani's company signs another pact to acquire 100% stake in...
CBSE Date Sheet 2025 announced: Class 10, 12 board exams to begin from...
Apollena: Aditi Sharma on how space-based drama encourage young girls, says 'no matter how many...'
Is Mia Khalifa dating ex-Man City star Julian Alvarez? Former adult star says 'It certainly...'
IPL 2025 auction RTM rule: How this year’s right-to-match card is different from previous seasons
'Virat Kohli is trying to...': Shoaib Akhtar makes BIG statement on Champions Trophy 2025
Maharashtra Election 2024: Mukesh Ambani and family cast their votes in Mumbai