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Buried Tales of Past Violence from Chemmani

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

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July 07, 2025

Chemmani is Sri Lanka's collective shame and evidence of systemic failure to deal with extra-judicial killings and deliver truth, justice and accountability

- DILRUKSHI HANDUNNETTI

A quaint village in northern Jaffna is currently throwing up evidence of Sri Lanka's gross human rights abuses and poor criminal justice system, buried in the sands of time, holding within its tombs inconvenient truths the island has long preferred to keep buried.

The world watches Sri Lanka with keen eyes as evidence of a mass grave re-emerges from Chemmani, in the Tamil heartland of Jaffna. It has refused to stay buried, a quarter century later.

Chemmani is among the known mass graves, and a 26-year-long war is most likely to have birthed other sites, still unknown and unidentified. Bearing war's painful legacy, these mass graves quietly hold the evidence of people killed and buried during years of conflict, a stark reminder of an island's gruesome past, human rights violations and the absence of justice and accountability.

In February 2025, construction workers unearthed human remains while clearing a land adjacent to the Chemmani-Sindupathi Hindu burial ground. Following a police referral, the Jaffna Magistrate Court initiated a preliminary investigation on February 20 and ordered exhumation and excavation of the remains.

On June 2, an expert team led by Prof. Raj Somadeva, a top forensic archaeologist, unearthed 19 skeletal remains. As of July 5, ongoing excavations have recovered 45 skeletons, including those of children, all temporarily stored at the University of Jaffna.

Like most mass graves, until 1998, Chemmani was unknown to the world and was shrouded in mystery. It was first mentioned by Lance Corporal Somaratne Rajapakse, one of those accused for the rape and murder of an 18-year-old Tamil school girl, Krishanthi Kumaraswamy.

MEER VERHALEN VAN The New Indian Express Vijayawada

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

Two dons-turned-politicians draw battle lines on Mokama poll turf

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time to read

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time to read

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AQI MODERATE No spike in pollution levels in State

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time to read

1 min

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The New Indian Express Vijayawada

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time to read

1 mins

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The New Indian Express Vijayawada

Speaker appoints lawyer to assist panel probing Justice Varma graft case

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time to read

1 min

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The New Indian Express Vijayawada

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

ROBUST LAW AND ORDER IS ESSENTIAL TO WIN INVESTORS' CONFIDENCE: CM

CHIEF Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday emphasised that a robust law and order environment has instilled confidence in global IT giants like Google to invest in Andhra Pradesh.

time to read

1 mins

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The New Indian Express Vijayawada

TTD receives staggering ₹918.6 cr donations this year

THE Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the governing body of the revered Sri Venkateswara temple, has recorded an unprecedented surge in donations for the year 2025, marking a significant recovery in its financial landscape post-Covid-19.

time to read

1 min

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

EC: Print ads a day before or poll date need pre-certification

AHEAD of assembly polls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday issued an order saying to ensure a fair campaign environment, no party, candidate, organisation or person shall publish any advertisement in print media on poll day and one day prior to the poll day, unless the contents are pre-certified by the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.

time to read

1 min

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The New Indian Express Vijayawada

Paraglider from Canada found dead, Australian rescued in HP

A 27-year-old Canadian paraglider, Megan Elizabeth, was found dead after going missing from the high mountains of the Dhauladhar range, while a 47year-old Australian paraglider, Jacob, was rescued in the last 48 hours.

time to read

1 min

October 22, 2025

The New Indian Express Vijayawada

10 months on, NMC yet to act against 30 docs for 'sponsored' foreign trips

THE National Medical Commission (NMC) is yet to take any action against 30 doctors who accepted free trips to Monaco and Paris worth ₹1.91 crore last year, despite the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) recommendations that action should be taken against them for violating professional misconduct.

time to read

1 mins

October 22, 2025

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