Father identifies decapitated man

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 February 1999, 20:00 GMT]
The father of Rajaratnam Rajeswaran, 23, a youth who was reported missing from Karaveddi since February 21, positively identified the head that was found in Jaffna as that of his son this evening. Human rights sources in Jaffna said that the Police were unable to record his statement as Rajaratnam, a resident of Nallur, had become distraught and disorientated after seeing his son's severed head.

Meanwhile, the victim's wife, Selvalathcmi, 21, said in her statement to the Sri Lankan Police at Nelliyadi today that she and her husband had been returning from the temple in their neighbourhood in Karaveddi on February 21 when a cadre of a Tamil paramilitary group had accosted them.

As he had taken her husband aside to talk, she had gone home on her own.

Selvalathcmi told the Police that Rajeswaran had been missing since then.

According to Selvalathcmi's statement, her husband had come from Nallur the day before, February 20.

The Police confirmed this from the youth's national identity card that he had surrendered at the SLA's entry point to Vadamaradchi at Vallai junction.

(Civilians going to this part of the peninsula have to leave behind their i.d cards at the Vallai point. They can collect it back only when they leave the area through this sentry point.)

Rajeswaran was employed at a textile shop in Jaffna town said his wife.

Following the Selvalathcmi's statement to the Nelliyadi Police today, r.S.Sreetharan, an official of the Human Rights Commission in Jaffna has asked the Police to provide Selvalathcmi maximum protection as the involvement of a well armed paramilitary group is strongly suspected in the gruesome decapitation of her husband.

She will be brought to Jaffna tomorrow to give evidence in courts.

Police sources in Jaffna town said that the PLOTE was the paramilitary group that had accosted and taken away Rajeswaran when he was returning from the temple in Karaveddi on Feb.21. They said further investigations are underway.

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