V. Dharmalingam

Visvanathan Dharmalingam (; 5 February 1918 – 2 September 1985) was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Member of Parliament.

Early life and family Dharmalingam was born on 5 February 1918. He was educated at Skandavarodaya College, Chunnakam, and St Patrick's College, Jaffna.

Career Dharmalingam was elected to Uduvil Village Council in 1944, later becoming its chairman. He was re-elected at the July 1960, March 1965 and May 1970 parliamentary elections.

Dharmalingam played a leading role in the 1961 satyagraha campaign organised by ITAK. Early on the morning of 20 February 1961 a group of 55 to 75 persons staged a satyagraha at the Jaffna Kachcheri in Old Park. Among them were ITAK MPs A. Amirthalingam, S. J. V. Chelvanayakam, Dharmalingam, V. A. Kandiah, E. M. V. Naganathan, V. N. Navaratnam and K. Thurairatnam. Dharmalingam was the TULF's candidate in Manipay (the new name of the Uduvil electoral district) at the 1977 parliamentary election and was re-elected. Dharmalingam 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 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 separate state; and the Black July riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered by Sinhalese mobs. After three months of absence, Dharmalingam forfeited his seat in Parliament on 8 October 1983.

Assassination On the night of 2/3 September 1985 two men went to the house of M. Alalasundaram, former MP for Kopay, at Kalliyankadu, Nallur and kidnapped him at gun point. Dharmalingam's body was found at a cemetery in Thavady, Manipay, with a bullet wound in the forehead. 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.

However, the Sri Lankan government and the military have repeatedly blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the assassinations.