Tamil Nadu Timeline

Eelam

15 events, 1983 to 2014; 1 marked as turning points.

  1. 1983

    1. 24 Jul 1983 to 29 Jul 1987RameswaramConflict

      Black July and the arrival of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees

      Anti-Tamil pogroms in Sri Lanka in July 1983 sent the first large wave of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to Tamil Nadu.

  2. 1985

    1. 1985ChennaiPolitics

      Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) formed

      TESO was formed in Tamil Nadu to mobilise support for Sri Lankan Tamils, with M. Karunanidhi among its leaders.

  3. 1987

    1. 4 Jun 1987JaffnaDiplomacy

      Operation Poomalai: Indian airdrop over Jaffna

      Indian Air Force transport planes dropped relief supplies over the besieged city of Jaffna, halting a Sri Lankan army offensive against the Tamil militants.

    2. 29 Jul 1987ColomboDiplomacy

      Indo-Sri Lanka Accord signed

      An accord between India and Sri Lanka on the Tamil issue led to the dispatch of the Indian Peace Keeping Force to the island.

  4. 1990

    1. Mar 1990TrincomaleeDiplomacy

      Indian Peace Keeping Force withdraws from Sri Lanka

      In March 1990 the final contingents of the Indian Peace Keeping Force, deployed under the 1987 accord, departed from Sri Lanka.

    2. 19 Jun 1990KodambakkamConflict

      EPRLF leader K. Pathmanabha killed in Madras

      EPRLF leader K. Pathmanabha and others were shot dead by gunmen in a Kodambakkam flat in Madras, in killings attributed to the LTTE.

  5. 1994

    1. 1994ChennaiPolitics

      Vaiko founds the MDMK after split from DMK

      Expelled from the DMK, Vaiko founded the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK).

  6. 1997

    1. Aug 1997New DelhiLaw Justice

      Jain Commission interim report on the Rajiv Gandhi assassination

      Criticism of the DMK over the LTTE in the Jain Commission's interim report prompted Congress to demand the party's exit, bringing down the Gujral government.

  7. 1998

    1. 28 Jan 1998PoonamalleeLaw Justice

      TADA court sentences 26 to death in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

      A designated TADA court at Poonamallee sentenced all 26 accused on trial to death for the conspiracy to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi.

  8. 2002

    1. 11 Jul 2002ChennaiLaw Justice

      Vaiko arrested under POTA

      MDMK leader Vaiko was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for a speech supporting the LTTE and spent over a year and a half in jail.

  9. 2009

    1. 29 Jan 2009ChennaiProtest

      Self-immolation of K. Muthukumar

      Journalist K. Muthukumar set himself on fire in Chennai in protest against the killing of Tamil civilians in the Sri Lankan war.

    2. 18 May 2009MullaitivuConflict

      End of the Sri Lankan civil war

      The Sri Lankan army defeated the LTTE, ending a 26-year war that had deeply affected Tamil Nadu's politics.

  10. 2013

    1. 11 Mar 2013 to Mar 2013Loyola College, ChennaiProtest

      Student protests over Sri Lankan Tamils

      Colleges were shut after students throughout Tamil Nadu protested over alleged war crimes against Sri Lankan Tamils.

    2. 15 Nov 2013ColomboDiplomacy

      India's Prime Minister skips CHOGM in Colombo after Tamil Nadu pressure

      After a unanimous Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stayed away from the Commonwealth summit in Colombo.

  11. 2014

    1. 26 May 2014Rashtrapati BhavanDiplomacy

      Tamil Nadu parties oppose Rajapaksa's invitation to Modi's swearing-in

      Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's attendance at Narendra Modi's swearing-in drew opposition from parties across Tamil Nadu.