The Sri Lankan navy has been accused of being complicit in the murder of a man in Jaffna after they were seen in dramatic CCTV footage refusing to help the man and his wife as they were being chased and beating the couple as they were abducted by unidentified assailants.
The couple were on their way home in Karainagar on Monday 11 March, when they reported being chased by an unknown group of assailants by the SLNS Elara naval base.
Footage shows them pleading with armed officers on duty for help, whilst troops initially assault the man. As they frantically plead for help, a motorbike and car are seen repeatedly passing by. A group of men then emerge and drag the couple away, into the car. The Sri Lankan officers are seemingly standing by and watching.
The wife says her husband was stabbed, beaten and strangled in the car. Although the assailants dropped her off at Sithankerny, her husband’s body was later found dropped off near a hospital.
He was admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital where he died from his injuries. A post-mortem report revealed that he had deep lacerations from numerous stab wounds.
“My husband and I escaped from the assailants and ran to a navy camp where we sought shelter,” the woman told reporters the next day, describing how they had pleaded for help. “However the officers chased us away.”
If the Sri Lankan navy had acted differently, her husband’s life could have been spared, she added. “Even if the officers did not want us to take shelter, they could have still chased the gang away,” she said.
Following the murder, Sri Lankan crime scene police officers were seen collecting evidence, while photographs showed footwear belonging to the couple being found at the entrance to the camp. Sri Lanka police released CCTV footage from cameras installed in the navy camp which shows the couple seeking assistance from the navy officers, only to be beaten and abandoned.
Sri Lankan police have since located the vehicle used in the crime, which they noted was heavily blood-stained. Five individuals from Kilinochchi whom they believe were connected to the incident have reportedly been arrested.
