Kousalyan’s body released after 19 hour delay

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 February 2005, 11:42 GMT]
Polannaruwa magistrate Tuesday evening instructed hospital authorities to send Mr. Kousalyan’s body to Batticaloa hospital for autopsy after a delay of more than 19 hours. LTTE officials from Batticaloa who went to take over the body early Tuesday morning said that it had been disfigured by the assassins. The Liberation Tigers strongly objected to the delay in releasing Mr. Kousalyan’s body and a move by the Polannaruwa base hospital authorities to transfer Mr. Kousalyan’s body to Colombo for autopsy.

The van in which Mr. Kousalyan and Mr. Chandra Nehru were traveling

Polannaruwa magistrate inspecting the place where Mr. Kousalyan was gunned down

Meanwhile, the Liberation Tigers cadre who escaped the killing said that the assassins had followed them in a van which overtook their vehicle at a lonely place near a village called Namalgama and blocked the road.

All the assailants were dressed in Sri Lankan military type uniforms and had asked the passengers in Mr. Ariyanayagam Chandra Nehru's van to get down. The two police constables who were providing security to the former TNA MP didn't offer any resistance as the assassins were in military fatigues, according to the LTTE cadre who escaped the murder.