Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched an excavation at the public cemetery in Thambuluvil, Akkaraipattu, following claims that victims of enforced disappearances may be buried at the site.
The search, which began on 31 July, was conducted under the supervision of the Akkaraipattu Magistrate’s Court and follows information reportedly provided by a close associate of former Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, also known as Pillayan.
The claim was made by an aide of K. Pushpakumar, also known as Iniyabharathy - a senior member of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), a government-backed paramilitary outfit accused of multiple human rights abuses during and after the armed conflict. The aide reportedly alleged that the remains of several forcibly disappeared individuals were interred at the site.
The CID has been intensifying its investigations into a series of high-profile disappearances, including that of Eastern University Vice Chancellor Prof. S. Raveendranath and journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda. The arrests of Iniyabharathy and his associate Saseenthran Thavaseelan marked a significant development in these long-stalled cases. The duo were also detained in connection with the 2005 killing of former Thirukovil Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman S. Thirukkumar.
Following their arrests, another of Iniyabharathy’s associates, Sabapathy, was taken into custody alongside four additional suspects. Based on testimonies provided during interrogations, CID officers were deployed to multiple sites in the Thambuluvil area suspected to contain mass graves.
Though no human remains or suspicious items were uncovered during the initial dig, investigations are ongoing.
The TMVP, a breakaway faction of the LTTE that allied with Sri Lankan government forces during the armed conflict, has long been accused of extrajudicial killings, abductions, and the recruitment of child soldiers. The group, once led by Pillayan, rose to political prominence with the backing of successive governments in Colombo and maintained a significant presence in the Eastern Province.
