Young father shot dead in Koappaay, Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 July 2007, 10:16 GMT]
A young family man was shot dead at his house in Koappay by armed men alleged to be members of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intelligence wing and SLA-backed paramilitaries at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said. The intruders forced open the front entrance to the house and shot the man, according to sources.

The victim was indentified as Viyaagarasa Vaseekaran, 30, a father two children, from Chanthiraseakarappi'l'laiyaar Road in Koppaay.

The victim's body also bore marks due to severe beating, and burn marks from cigarette butts.

Following inquiries by the Jaffna Magistrate, Koappaay Police handed over the body to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for postmortem examinations.

Local residents who approached the house on hearing screams were allegedly beaten back by men identified as belonging to a paramilitary group, residents said.