11.02.1996 – Kumarapuram massacre
Kumarapuram village is situated in the Assistant Government Agent Division of Mutur in the Trincomalee district. It is located between the villages of Kiliveddi and Parathipuram. The village is bounded in east by the Allaikulam water reservoir and in the west by a sport ground and a milk collection centre. A military camp is just 2 Kms from its north border. People from all the different ethnic communities lived here without any disharmony. After the 1995 military activities people in the village lived in fear. The massacre on 11.02.1996 happened during one of these military activities.
On 11.02.1996 at 4.00 pm people heard firing noises. The frightened people ran into the large forest area near the Allaikulam and hid there. Some people stayed at home. In the home of Alagutharai, eight members of the family stayed at home. All eight of them were shot dead in their home by the military.
In the inquiry on this massacre the village headman in his evidence said Rasenthiram Karunaharan was shot dead in front of him as the two were talking. Another man Nagarasa lost his eyesight as a result of the shooting.
Arumaithurai Thanalaxmi, a 16 year old girl was taking her eight year old brother on her bicycle. When they heard the shooting she took her brother and hid in a nearby shop. The military dragged her out and took her to the milk collection centre and there she was gang raped by the military. One Sri Lankan soldier, Corporal Kumara, confessed to shooting her dead at the inquiry. When asked why he shot her he stated that she was badly injured with several bite marks made by the military men who gang raped her and that she was in such a bad state that he shot her. 26 people were killed in this massacre. 22 were seriously injured. Many of the injured who died without medical care were recorded as deaths by natural causes.
Sources: 1996: "Massacres of Tamils 1956 - 2008", NESOHR (2010), pp. 143 - 144 Names: "Massacres of Tamils 1956 - 2008", Tamil Version, NESOHR (2010), pp. 143 - 145