Chemmani Mass Grave: Renewed Excavation Raises Old Questions
Photo courtesy of Kumanan Kanapathippillai
The Chemmani cemetery, located near the entrance of Jaffna town, is once again the focus of national and international attention. In February, during development work at the Chemmani-Siththupaththi Hindu Cemetery, construction crews unearthed human skeletal remains. This prompted immediate concern and legal intervention as the site has long been suspected to be associated with war time extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
This article outlines the historical background of the Chemmani mass grave, the 1999 investigation, the developments in 2025 and the broader implications for transitional justice.
Chemmani and the 1990s
Chemmani became a point of concern in 1998 when Lance Corporal Somaratne Rajapakse, one of the soldiers convicted for the rape and murder of 18 year-old Krishanthi Kumaraswamy in 1996, claimed in his court testimony that over 600 people were buried in mass graves in the Chemmani area. These were allegedly civilians who had disappeared while in the custody of the Army during its occupation of Jaffna between 1995 and 1996.
In the same incident, Krishanthi’s mother Rassammah, her 16 year-old brother Pranavan and a neighbour who went in search of her were also abducted and murdered by army personnel. Following his testimony, a court ordered investigation led to the exhumation of 15 skeletons from the Chemmani site in 1999. Forensic experts confirmed that some remains showed signs of torture and execution. Two of the skeletons were identified as missing persons.
Despite the evidence, no further excavations were carried out and no high ranking military personnel were prosecuted in connection with the Chemmani claims.
The 2025 excavation at Chemmani-Siththupaththi Hindu cemetery
In February 2025, human skeletal remains were uncovered during development work at the Chemmani-Siththupaththi Hindu Cemetery located near the Chemmani cremation ground in Jaffna. Following this discovery, the Jaffna Magistrate Court ordered an excavation under the supervision of judicial medical officers, police officers and government archaeologists.
As of July 5, a total of 42 complete human skeletons have been exhumed. Among the remains were children, including some babies. Personal items such as a blue school bag labeled ABC was found with a small child’s skeleton along with a toy, glass bangles, earrings, pieces of fabric and a single Bata slipper.
The skeletal remains have been transferred to and are currently stored at the Forensic and Anthropology Unit of the University of Jaffna for further examination. Other evidence recovered from the mass grave is also under the custody of the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court. Although the excavation is being conducted under court supervision, serious concerns persist due to the lack of adequate forensic expertise, particularly regarding mass grave investigations. Families of the disappeared and civil society organizations have called for the involvement of international forensic experts with prior experience in investigating mass graves to ensure the credibility and integrity of the process.
Legal and forensic oversight
The excavation is being conducted under the oversight of the Jaffna Magistrate Court, Judicial Medical Officers (JMOs), government archaeology experts and Scene of the Crime Officers (SOCO) of the Police Department. While the process appears to follow legal procedures, concerns remain about close independent monitoring of the process by forensic experts. Families of the disappeared have reiterated the need for international forensic experts to be involved, citing a long standing mistrust in domestic state institutions.
Victims and families
Between 1995 and 1996, during the Army’s control of Jaffna, hundreds of Tamil civilians were reported missing after being detained at checkpoints or taken from their homes. These incidents were documented by local human rights groups and international observers as enforced disappearances.
Many families filed habeas corpus petitions but were unsuccessful in finding answers. The Krishanthi Kumaraswamy case brought national attention to these disappearances but Chemmani was not subject to an indepth investigation. With the current excavations, some families hope for identification of missing relatives but no DNA collection process for victims’ families has yet been announced. The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) has not issued a formal statement on involvement.
Current demands
The Anaiya Vilakku (Imperishable Lamp) protest, held on June 23, 24 and 25 near the Chemmani mass grave site, aimed to draw the attention of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who came to the site during his visit to Sri Lanka.
Organized by People’s Action, voluntary youth groups and the Association for Relatives of the Enforced Disappearances (North and East), the protest amplified community demands for justice and accountability.
During Türk’s visit, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said that the High Commissioner could visit the Chemmani mass grave site without any restrictions. However, senior human rights lawyer K.S. Ratnavel, who represents the families of victims in the Chemmani case, highlighted the lack of concrete arrangements by the government to facilitate such a visit.
At a press conference held in Jaffna, Ratnavel pointed out that while the government claimed to allow unrestricted access, it failed to follow necessary legal procedures. Since the exhumation process at Chemmani is ongoing, he said that any visit to the site requires formal permission from the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court.
Recognising this legal gap, Ratnavel said that he filed a motion before the court on June 25 seeking official permission for the High Commissioner to access the site. Although the police objected, arguing that the High Commissioner should only be allowed to view the site from outside, Ratnavel said he successfully argued in court that a visit to the site was essential. Ratnavel stated that the court subsequently granted permission for the High Commissioner to enter the site.
Protesters called for international oversight of the Chemmani excavation, support for community-led technical assistance and the escalation of Sri Lanka’s accountability to higher UN bodies. Their petition urged that the Sri Lanka Accountability Project (OSLAP) established under Human Rights Council Resolution be allowed to monitor and assist with excavations and that all known mass graves be subject to investigation under international supervision. They also requested that adequate funding be provided for the Jaffna Magistrate Court’s excavation efforts.
These demands reflect a growing frustration with the domestic justice process and a renewed push for meaningful international engagement to ensure that the Chemmani investigation leads to truth and justice.
The reopening of the Chemmani mass grave site has reaffirmed long standing allegations of wartime disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the North. The findings so far confirm that human remains were buried in unmarked graves, alongside personal belongings, including those of children.
This site is now part of a broader collection of mass graves across the country that remain uninvestigated. Without full transparency, international oversight and credible prosecution, the Chemmani investigation may once again result in impunity.
The coming months will determine whether Sri Lanka will treat this excavation as an opportunity to pursue accountability or continue the cycle of denial.
