Youth identifies farmer's killers

[TamilNet, Thursday, 30 November 2000, 06:07 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers allegedly involved in the murder of a young farmer, Arunasalam Chandramohan, in Sithaandy in the eastern Batticaloa were identified by a fourteen year-old witness in an identification parade held before the Batticaloa Additional Judge, on Wednesday.

Chandramohan was shot dead on 9 August this year, while he was working in his paddy field. The soldiers then cut off his head and took it their camp inside a plastic bag.

Following the magisterial inquest, the Batticaloa District Judge J.Visvanathan recorded a verdict of homicide and ordered the police to arrest the suspects and produce them in courts.

Last week the Eravur Police arrested four soldiers attached to the Siththandy SLA camp and produced them in courts.

On District Judge's instruction the Police produced thiry-two suspects before the Batticaloa Additional District Judge Abdul Gaffoor Wednesday at SLA's 23-3 Brigade Headquarters for an identification parade.

The only witness to the incident, Ponnuthurai Chandramohan (14), identified two soldiers, Dikkirigallage Sumanathasa Vithana and Ararchchilage Bandula Sarathkumara. The witness failed to identify the other two suspects, namely, H.M.Chandrasiri Herat and Vanniarachchi Sanakumara.

However, the Additional District Judge ordered the four suspects to be remanded in the army custody until 13 December this year.

The Police informed the court that four other SLA soldiers suspected to be involved in this murder were absconding.

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