Tamils in Jaffna commemorated the 38th anniversary of the Kokkuvil Hindu College massacre, where dozens were killed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in 1987.
The remembrance event was held in front of the entrance to Kokkuvil Hindu College, where a memorial flame was lit in honour of the victims, followed by a moment of silence and the laying of floral tributes.
On 24 October 1987, Indian troops moving in heavy military vehicles along the KKS Road towards Jaffna town opened fire from their tanks into the school buildings, where civilians had taken refuge during intense fighting.
According to local accounts, 26 civilians sheltering in one classroom were killed instantly in the attack. A further 14 injured civilians died without medical care while being taken to smaller hospitals. Among the 40 civilians killed was Professor Chandrasekaram, the Dean of the Education Department at the University of Jaffna. More than 80 others were injured.
Due to the scale of destruction and the continuing bombardment at the time, proper funerals could not be held, and the victims’ bodies were buried in the school playground.
The Kokkuvil massacre remains one of the many atrocities committed by the Indian army during its deployment in the Tamil homeland between 1987 and 1990. The IPKF, which entered the North-East under the Indo-Lanka Accord, was responsible for widespread civilian killings, disappearances, and sexual violence during its campaign against the Tamil resistance movement.
To this day, no one has been held accountable for the Kokkuvil Hindu College massacre or for the broader pattern of abuses carried out by the Indian forces across the North-East. The massacre continues to be remembered as one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Tamil nation’s struggle for self-determination.
