4TH LEAD (UPDATE)
Father of slain woman on Kathirkaamam pilgrimage rules out rape
[TamilNet, Monday, 11 July 2011, 10:57 GMT]
31-year-old mother of two children, Santhakumari Krishnapillai, from Thampiluvil, Batticaloa, who was on a pilgrimage to Kathirkaamam was found slain in the early hours of Sunday was killed by an animal, the father of the victim told media Tuesday. The incident took place near the riverside of Va’l’liyamman Temple at Kathirkaamam. On Tuesday, the father of the woman, who was also on the pilgrimage, ruled out rape and said his daughter went aside from the group looking for a toilet pit and that he found her body after he heard her screaming for help.
 A news item that appeared in Thinakkural daily published in Colombo on Tuesday quotes TNA MP Ariyanethiran citing the relatives of the victims as saying that 3 persons in military fatigue were observed at the site of the killing and that the SL military that came to the site together with the officers of the SL Department of Wildlife Conservation had attempted to take away and burn the body of the victim. The relatives who came forward to witness were videoed by the SL authorities, the MP has further alleged, calling for thorough investigations.
Earlier, relatives of the victim who had gone to the spot had alleged that they noticed traces of rape at the site. The relatives had also said they found bite marks as well as cut injuries on her breast and semen stains on her dress, prompting a TNA parliamentarian to call for thorough investigations. Village officials who visited the spot also differed in the interpretation and said the injury was caused by a leopard. A proper autopsy would be the only reliable way of establishing what had happened, they said Monday evening. Post-mortem report on Tuesday established the reason as attack by leopard. However, there were still allegations from Tamil political circles that the family and relatives had come under pressure from the Sri Lankan police following the incident.
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