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File photograph: A memorial service for victims of the IPKF's Jaffna Hospital massacre.
The family of a woman and her child who were shot dead by Indian Peacekeeping Forces (IPKF) in 1987 returned to Jaffna to perform their funeral rites in accordance with Hindu traditions, 38 years after the killings.
The rituals took place on Sunday (23rd), following a court’s approval to exhume the skeletal remains, which had been buried in the family’s home compound since the time of their deaths.
In 1987, as part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, the Indian government deployed the IPKF to the Tamil homeland. Their presence soon became infamous among Tamil civilians, as the IPKF was accused of widespread atrocities, including extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, and displacement. The Tamil population, particularly in Jaffna, bore the brunt of these abuses.
During this period, Indian soldiers shot and killed a Tamil woman and her young son at their home in Jaffna. Fearing for the safety of his surviving children, the woman’s husband buried their bodies within the premises of their home and erected a memorial stone over the site. Shortly thereafter, he fled the country with his remaining children and resettled abroad.
For decades, the father lived in exile, often recounting to his children the tragic events of 1987. He repeatedly expressed a heartfelt wish that the bodies of his wife and son be exhumed and cremated with proper Hindu rites.
Several months ago, the father passed away and, determined to fulfil his final wish, the sons returned to Jaffna and petitioned the court for permission to exhume the remains.
Following legal proceedings, the court granted approval to proceed with the exhumation. On Sunday, the skeletal remains of their mother and brother were recovered and the family finally performed the funeral rituals according to Hindu tradition.
The ceremony not only marked the end of a personal journey for the family but also served as a sombre reminder of the deep scars left by the IPKF's brutal campaign in the Tamil homeland. For many Tamils, justice and closure remain elusive, with countless similar stories still buried beneath the soil of the North-East.
