Mass grave excavation carried out in Kokkuthoduvai

by Ephraim
Sep 9, 2023

The third day of excavation at the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave was marked by significant developments last Friday. Archaeologist Paramu Pushparatnam from the Department of Archaeology to the excavation team joined the team of archeologists working on the mass grave.

The anticipation was palpable as the third day began, given the discoveries on the previous day. On day two, in addition to two partial skeletal remains and clothing, pieces of metal suspected to be remnants of weapons were uncovered.

Around noon, a group of students from the Medical Faculty of the University of Jaffna visited the excavation site to observe the ongoing process.

The third day saw the exhumation of two more skeletal remains believed to belong to female cadres from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The assumption of the gender of the victims was based on the presence of undergarments near the remains. Further scrutiny revealed what appeared to be embedded bullets within both sets of skeletal remains.

K. S. Niranjan, one of the lawyers closely monitoring the excavation, held a press conference at the conclusion of the third day. He highlighted the exhumation of two complete skeletal remains and the garments of the victims bore numbers sewn into them. One victim's trousers with the number 3204 sewn into it, along with a full-sleeved shirt and women's undergarments, featured the number 3174. The second set of skeletal remains had similar attire with the number 1564 sewn on into the undergarments. The numbers were meticulously sewn with black thread, which could possibly lead to identifying the victims. 

The bullets found embedded within the remains of both victims were significant discoveries as well. In addition to the skeletal remains, all other objects discovered were carefully packaged and submitted as evidence to the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) for further investigation. 

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