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| The Kurukkalmadam mass grave site. |
The Kaluwanchikudi Magistrate Court is to make a ruling on commencing excavation activities at Kurukkalmadam mass grave grave in Batticaloa after a team that visited the site is scheduled to submit reports an investigation plan and a budget on September 18.
An investigation team responsible for undertaking excavations and exhumations in the Kurukkalmadam Mass Grave Case B/172/2014 conducted a site visit on September 11 in order to plan how to proceed.
The team comprising of Judicial Medical Officers (JMO) headed by the Chief Consultant JMO, and officers of the Archaeology Department, along with
the police, Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO), lawyers representing the complainant, and officials from the Office on Missing Persons, visited the suspected mass grave site under the supervision of the Honourable Judge, J. B. A. Ranjithkumar, Magistrate Court, Kaluwanchikudy.
On August 25th, the Honourable Magistrate Ranjithkumar issued an order to commence excavations based on Article 12(d) of the Office on Missing Persons (Establishment,Administration and Discharge of Functions) Act No. 14 of 2016. Under this provision the OMP makes an application to a magistrate’s court for an order to initiate excavations and exhumations at a suspected mass grave site. As per the Court’s order, the OMP facilitated the process for a field visit with the expert team on September 11.
The Magistrate permitted family members of the disappeared who believe that their loved one’s remains may lie in the Kurakkalmadam mass grave to observe proceedings at the site.
At the request of the Court, 26 of these families submitted affidavits regarding the
disappearance of their loved ones, the OMP said in a statement. (Northeastern Monitor/ September 13/2025)
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