Chemmani toll reaches 491 as court demands radar and evidence reports

Eight further sets of human remains have been identified at the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna, bringing the total recovered from the islands largest such site to 491, as a court sitting at the excavation ordered the submission of key scientific reports before deciding what further examinations should follow.

Wednesday marked the 44th day of the court-authorised third phase, during which eight newly identified sets were recorded and eight previously identified sets fully exhumed. Across all three phases, excavation has now been carried out over 98 days, with 489 of the 491 sets identified fully exhumed.

Court sits at the graveside

An open court session was held at the excavation site before the Jaffna Magistrate S. Lenin Kumar, at which officials and experts discussed the next stages of the investigation. Lawyer Ranitha Gnanaraja said the session was attended by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, the archaeologist Professor Raj Somadeva, Judicial Medical Officer Dr Selliah Pranavan, representatives of the Jaffna Bar Association, lawyers for affected parties and counsel for the complainant.

Somadeva presented proposals, on behalf of himself and the Judicial Medical Officer, on the continuation of the excavation and the work required as the investigation progresses. It was agreed that a comprehensive report on the Ground Penetrating Radar survey previously conducted at the site should be submitted to court together with its scientific interpretation, alongside a separate comprehensive report detailing the evidence and other material already recovered from the grave.

The findings of the two reports will inform discussions on whether further examinations are necessary, including the dating of the human remains. A further meeting of the parties before the court is scheduled for around 3pm on 14 October.

Applications on evidence accepted

The affected parties made several applications concerning the preservation and inclusion of evidence in the court record, requesting that investigators reports and photographs documenting the recovery of the remains, including those taken by the forensic team, the archaeological team and the Judicial Medical Officer, be incorporated into the court file.

They also called for safeguards over the custody of evidence to be reaffirmed and asked that all outstanding reports be made part of the case record. The applications were accepted, with directions issued to follow up with the relevant parties, experts and institutions to obtain and submit the outstanding material.

The need for examinations of the human remains was stressed during discussions, with further decisions expected once the report on other evidence recovered from the site is received. A decision on whether excavations will continue beyond the currently authorised period is expected around 19 August, during the final week of the present schedule.

The question of dating has been a persistent thread in the proceedings. At a hearing last month, the Criminal Investigation Department told the court that it had not yet been established whether a crime had taken place at the site, as it sought permission to conduct scientific testing to determine the age of the remains. Excavations were temporarily suspended in late July with the toll at 480, resuming last week.

Chemmani has surpassed the Mannar Sathosa mass grave to become the largest uncovered on the island, with excavations repeatedly unearthing the remains of infants and young children alongside artefacts including clothing, feeding bottles, toys and beads. The site was first linked to enforced disappearances in 1998, when a Sri Lankan soldier testifying in the trial over the abduction, rape and murder of the schoolgirl Krishanthi Kumaraswamy disclosed that Tamils who disappeared in the custody of the security forces were buried there. The process of identifying the dead has still not begun, and families of the disappeared continue to reject domestic mechanisms and demand an independent international investigation.