A Sri Lankan story: Oddamavadi:

The untold story—one year later

- BY IFHAM NIZAM

In the midst of a global pandemic that disrupted every facet of human life, Sri Lanka enacted a policy that struck at the very heart of one community's spiritual and cultural identity.

The mandatory cremation rule for COVID-19 victims, enforced from March 2020, not only caused profound psychological trauma but also ignited a national conversation on religious freedom, state accountability, and the limits of public health policy.

In 2023, a group of Sri Lankan creatives came together to document this controversial period in Oddamavadi — The Untold Story—a compelling book and documentary that blend personal testimony, visual storytelling, and investigative insight. It aims not just to record a dark chapter, but to urge reflection, justice, and reconciliation.

Aman Ashraff, director and producer of the searing documentary, 'Oddamavadi: The Untold Story', under the banner of Black Coffee Films, doesn't mince his words when he explains why this story needed to be told. "Such an unlawful act against humanity took place in this country," he says, his voice calm but resolute. "We had to record it for posterity."

The government's policy, introduced under public health regulations at the height of the pandemic, was seen by critics as both medically unjustified and religiously insensitive. Islam mandates burial, and for many Muslim families, the idea of cremation was both spiritually devastating and culturally alien.

The decision drew criticism from the international medical community, including statements from the World Health Organization (WHO), which said burial of COVID-19 victims posed no significant public health risk.

Nonetheless, the policy remained in place for nearly a year before being revised in early 2021.