News
Investigating team visits Batticaloa mass grave to map out next steps
View(s):By S. Rubatheesan
An investigation team responsible for undertaking excavations and exhumations in the Kurukkalmadam mass grave in Batticalao conducted a field visit on Thursday to plan how to proceed.
The team will prepare an investigation plan and a budget, which will be presented to the court by September 18.
The team comprising Judicial Medical Officers (JMO) headed by the Chief Consultant JMO, and officers of the Archaeology Department, along with the police, Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO), lawyers representing the complainant, and officials from the Office on Missing Persons, visited the suspected mass grave site under the supervision of the Kaluwanchikudy Magistrate Court Judge, J. B. A. Ranjithkumar.
At least 66 individuals recorded their statements at the meeting held at the old District Secretariat in Batticaloa
On August 25, Magistrate Ranjithkumar issued an order to begin excavations based on Article 12(d) of the Office on Missing Persons (Establishment, Administration and Discharge of Functions) Act No. 14 of 2016.
Under this provision, the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) made an application to a magistrate’s court for an order to initiate excavations and exhumations at a suspected mass grave site. As per the Court’s order, the OMP facilitated a field visit by the expert team on September 11, a statement from OMP said.
The magistrate permitted family members of the disappeared, who believe that their loved ones’ remains may be lying in the Kurukkalmadam mass grave, to observe proceedings at the site. At the request of the Court, 26 of these families submitted affidavits regarding the disappearance of their loved ones.
The OMP has a primary mandate to search for and trace missing persons. The OMP works towards ensuring a multidisciplinary approach to mass grave investigations, and the protection of the rights of affected families, the statement from the OMP said.
Following the directive issued by the Kaluwanchikudi Magistrate Court to record complaints of enforced disappeared persons in the area, the regional office in OMP conducted inquiries to record statements from families of disappeared individuals on Friday (12).
At least 66 individuals recorded their statements at the meeting held at the old District Secretariat in Batticaloa.
Meanwhile, the case related to the Chemmani mass grave investigations will be taken up for hearing on September 18 in the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court. The Court is expected to make a ruling on the next stage of excavation activities after considering the reports to be submitted by the Ministry of Justice on further funding support and the technical report by the JMO team.
In Chemmani, the second phase of ongoing excavation activities came to an end last Saturday (6), where a total of 239 human skeletons have been exhumed so far out of the total 240 identified remains.
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