Four bodies exhumed near Kalmunai

Chandana Liyanaarachchi-Digamadulla Group Corr-Saturday, June 8, 2019

Police and Judicial Medical Officers inspecting bone fragments.(Inset): Ampara Additional Magistrate Asanga Hettiarachchi at the scene. Pictures by Chandana Liyanaarachchi

The bodies of four persons including a child who were killed in the post-Easter bombing counter-terror operation in Sainthamaruthu, near Kalmunai, were exhumed at the Ampara cemetery before Ampara District Magistrate Asanga Hettiarachchi yesterday morning. They were exhumed for the purpose of obtaining fresh samples of body tissue as the samples kept at the Government Analyst’s Department had decayed.

Sixteen persons, including the parents and wives of National Thowheed Jama’ath Leader Zahran Hashim, died when a brother of Zahran blew himself up in the encounter with the Security Forces search party at the NTJ safe house in Sainthamarthu.

Their bodies were buried at the Ampara cemetery after the mosques refused the accept them for burial as they were involved in terrorist activities.

The Judicial Medical Officer of the Ampara Base Hospital said that arrangements would be made to send the bone fragments of all persons who died in the explosion to the Government Analyst as they may be required for further investigations.