.JPG)
The scheduled exhumation of the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave, planned for August 21st, has been indefinitely postponed due to a lack of funding allocated to the Mullaitivu District Secretariat for the excavation and exhumation.
The case concerning this mass grave was heard on August 17th at the Mullaitivu District Court, presided over by Judge T. Piratheepan. Key witnesses at the hearing included Mullaitivu JMP Vasudeva Kokulai, the Mullaitivu Police Station Officer-in-Charge, Head of Mullaitivu Department of Archaeology R. G. J. Gunatilaka, and Head of Mullaitivu District Families of the Disappeared Mariyasuresh Eesvari.
The Mullaitivu Department of Archaeology had submitted a budget request of 1.2 million rupees to the courts for the excavation process. However, the Joint Medical Officer (JMO) indicated that the excavation could not proceed due to a lack of redirected funds from the Sri Lankan government.
In light of this funding gap, Attorney-at-Law V. K. Niranjan, representing the case, proposed the postponement of the planned excavation on August 21st. The Mullaitivu JMO further emphasized the importance of involving various state stakeholders, including the Ceylon Electricity Board, the District Secretariat, relevant Government Agents, the Road Development Authority, the Survey Department, and the relevant Forensic Department attached to the Police department, in future discussions and decision-making processes concerning the mass grave.
As a result, the court hearing on the excavation and exhumation has been rescheduled for August 31st, raising questions about potential delays and prevarication by the government in allocating the necessary funds for this critical process.
