A memorial was held today to commemorate Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, a Tamil school girl who was raped and murdered by Sri Lankan soldiers 29 years ago.
A lamp was lit and flowers were laid in memory of Krishanthi at a commemorative event in Chemmani, Jaffna, which was organised by the Northern and Eastern Memorial Committee.
Krishanthi's relatives, including her brother in law Chandrakanthan Mayuran, attended the event. Jaffna District Member of Parliament of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi, Sivagnanam Shritharan, former parliamentarians Selvarajah Kajendren and M. K. Sivajilingam, Valikamam East Divisional Council Chairman, Thiyagarajah Nirosh and representatives of civil organisations joined local residents in remembering Krishanthi.
Krishanthi was forced to stop at Kaithady Army checkpoint in Jaffna for ‘questioning’, when eleven officers kidnapped and gang raped her before killing her and burying her dismembered body in a ditch. Krishanthi’s 16 year old brother, Pranavan, her mother, Rasamma and a family friend, Kirupakaramoorthy who went in search of Krishanthi were also strangled with a rope and buried in a ditch behind the checkpoint.
In 1998, six of the officers involved were sentenced to death and three others sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.
Corporal Somaratne Rajapakse, who was found guilty of abducting, raping and killing Krishanthi, her mother, young brother and neighbor, revealed that there were at least 300 to 400 other bodies buried in Chemmani.
