Judicial proceedings relating to the mass grave discovered in Kokkuthoduvai, Mullaitivu, continued at the Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court on 29 May 2025, with the formal submission of the final forensic report compiled by judicial medical officers.
The case was heard before Magistrate Dharmalingam Pradeeban. In attendance were Mullaitivu District Judicial Medical Officer Dr K. Vasudeva, Attorney S. Niranjan, representing the families of the disappeared, and legal representatives from the Office on Missing Persons (OMP).
Speaking to the media following the session, Dr Vasudeva confirmed that the judicial medical panel’s comprehensive report had been officially handed over to the court. The report includes critical information about the human skeletal remains excavated from the site, including approximate age, gender, and causes of death. Several individuals were found to have died from gunshot wounds and explosive injuries, while in some cases, only partial remains were recovered, making it difficult to establish definitive causes of death.
With the identities of the deceased still unknown, the Magistrate instructed the OMP and representatives of families of the disappeared to assist in the identification process.
Attorney S. Niranjan stated that the report also outlined the number of male and female victims and documented physical evidence that could support further investigations. He added that the OMP intends to publish identifying details, such as numerical identifiers presumed to be linked to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in local newspapers in the coming weeks.
Following this public notice, families with relevant information will be invited to approach the court registrar. Any further legal steps will be taken based on the responses received from the public.
The Kokkuthoduvai mass grave site has been under scrutiny since the discovery of human remains in June 2023. Many of those buried are suspected to be LTTE cadres killed in the 1990s, though this has yet to be officially confirmed. Families of the disappeared have long expressed frustration over the slow progress of the investigation, repeated delays in excavation work, and lack of transparency.
