M. E. H. Maharoof

Mohamed Ehuttar Hadjiar Maharoof (Tamil: முகம்மது எகுத்தார் ஹாஜியார் மகரூப்; 5 January 1939 – 20 July 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament.

Hon. M. E. H. Maharoof MP
எம். ஈ. எச். மகரூப்
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Mutur
In office 1977–1989
Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament for Trincomalee District
In office 1989–1997
Personal details
Born	5 January 1939
Died	20 July 1997 (aged 58)
Political party	United National Party

Early life and family

Maharoof was born on 5 January 1939.[1][2] His father was chairman of Kinniya Village Council and his brother was M. E. H. Mohamed Ali.[2] He was educated at Zahira College, Matale, Trincomalee Hindu College, St. Anthony's College, Kandy and Pembroke Academy, Colombo.[2]

Maharoof's son Imran is a provincial councillor and Member of Parliament.[3][4]

Career

Maharoof gave up his studies and entered politics in 1965 following the unexpected death of his father.[2] He was chairman of Kinniya Town Council from 1966 to 1971.[1]

Maharoof stood as the United National Party (UNP) candidate in Mutur at the 1977 parliamentary election. He won the election and entered Parliament.[5] He was appointed District Minister for Mannar in 1978.[2][6] Maharoof contested the 1989 parliamentary election as one of the UNP's candidates in Trincomalee District. He was elected and re-entered Parliament.[7] He was appointed Minister of State for Ports and Shipping in 1990.[8] He was re-elected at the 1994 parliamentary election.[9]

Maharoof had good relationship with Tamils in Trincomalee District and had opposed the establishment of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and a South Eastern Provincial Council for the Muslims.[10][11] On the morning of 20 July 1997 Maharoof was travelling to Irakakkandy along the Kuchchaveli Road when his jeep was ambushed by gunmen at the 6th Mile Post between Trincomalee and Nilaveli.[12][13] Maharoof and five others (the driver, a bodyguard, a colleague, a school principal and the driver's four-year-old son) were killed.[12][13] The militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was widely blamed for the assassination.[14][15]

References

1. "Directory of Past Members: Maharoof, Mohamed Ehuttar Hadjiar". Parliament of Sri Lanka.
2. de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 272. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015.
3. Gurunathan, S. (17 December 2014). "UPFA is like a sinking ship – Maharoof". Ceylon Today. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
4. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (22 September 2012). "Najeeb Abdul Majeed makes history as the first muslim CM of Sri Lanka". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka).
5. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1977" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
6. Rajasingham, K. T. "Chapter 25: War or peace?". Sri Lanka: The Untold Story.
7. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1989" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka.
8. de Silva, W. P. P.; Ferdinando, T. C. L. 9th Parliament of Sri Lanka (PDF). Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. p. 215. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2015.
9. "Result of Parliamentary General Election 1994" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2010.
10. "Political sixes and Anura's 20". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) (27 July 1997).
11. Farook, Latheef (7 October 2012). "SLMC betrayal: Muslims should return to mainstream parties". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
12. "Muslim MP and 5 Others Killed" (PDF). Tamil Times. XVI (8): 5. August 1997. ISSN 0266-4488.
13. "ASA 37/20/97 Sri Lanka: Tamil Tigers leaders should account for latest killings" (PDF). Amnesty International. 22 July 1997.
14. Collure, Shyamal A. (3 August 1997). "UNP's Trinco choice under fire". The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka).
15. Kurukularatnae, Buddhika (24 April 2005). "The battle of the Gulliver and the Lilliputian". The Island (Sri Lanka).