Kumarapuram massacre case exhibits destroyed in fire

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 19:58 GMT]
All material evidence, including weapons allegedly used in the killing of Tamil civilians in the Kumarapuram massacre, were destroyed when the office of the Government Analyst in Colombo was gutted by fire last year, State Counsel Mr.S.Halimdeen told the Trincomalee High Court Judge Mr.Anton Balasingham when the Kumarapuram massacre case was taken up for inquiry Tuesday, legal sources said.

Mr.Halimdeen said he received a letter from the Government Analyst to this effect, legal sources said.

However, the State Counsel submitted to the High Court Judge that he is prepared to conduct the case on the statements made by eyewitnesses to the crime.

Thereafter, the High Court Judge fixed the inquiry for 8th November and directed the Registrar to issue summons on eight witnesses out of 112 cited by the prosecution to appear on the first date of inquiry, legal sources said.

The Attorney General had earlier indicted eight members of the government security forces on 101 counts including the murder of 25 Tamil villagers including men, women and children and causing grievous bodily harm to 24 Tamil villagers on 11 February 1996.

The seventh accused died after being indicted, legal sources said.

According to the prosecution, a group of soldiers and policemen ran berserk on the day of incident firing indiscriminately at civilians in Kumarapuram, which is one of the remote villages in Muttur division, south of Trincomalee district, legal sources said.

All seven accused appeared Tuesday in the Trincomalee High Court when the case was taken up and were enlarged on bail, legal sources said.

Kumarapuram case was committed to the High Court in the year 2002 after the conclusion of the non-summary proceedings in Trincomalee Magistrate's Court, legal sources said.