Deputy Solicitor General leads evidence in slain students' inquest

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 January 2006, 12:22 GMT]
Deputy Solicitor General Mr.D.Livera with two senior State Counsels on the direction by the Attorney General led the evidence of witnesses into the murder of five Tamil students allegedly by the government troops on January 2 night along the Trincomalee sea beach when the inquest proceedings resumed before Mr.V.Ramakamalan, Trincomalee Magistrate Monday morning, legal sources said.

The inquest into the murder of five Tamil students Manoharan Rajeehar, Thangathurai Sivanantha, Yogarajah Hemachchandran, Shanmugarajah Sajeendran and Rohanth Logithasan began Tuesday (January 10) during last week before Mr.V.Ramakamalan, Trincomalee Magistrate.

Trincomalee Police led the evidence on the first day of Dr.Kasipillai Manoharan, father of Rajeehar and Attorney-at-Law Ms Subashini Chitravelu, sister of Ms Sukirtha, who is the mother of Sivanantha. The inquest was put off for Thursday (January 12). But the inquest was put off for January 16 because of hartal, legal sources said.

In the meantime the Attorney General has directed that a team of senior State Counsels should assist the Police in conducting the magisterial inquest, legal sources said.

Hence the team of Senior State Counsel led by Deputy Solicitor General Mr.D.Livera arrived in Trincomalee Monday (January 16) Mr.Livera with his legal team inspected the scene of the crime in the morning. Thereafter he led the evidence of Mr.V.Shanmugarajah, father of Sajeendran and Ms Logithasan Loganayaki, mother of Rohanth, legal sources said.

Mr.Shanmugarajah said Sajeendran was one his three sons. Sajeendran left on the day of incident around 6 p.m. stating that he was going to Kali Kovil temple, which is adjoining Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College. Witness later came to know that there was a bomb blast in the sea beach and he was rushing to the site through Vidiyalayam Road. However he went to the Trincomalee general hospital as his son had failed to return home. He saw the dead body of his son in the hospital.

Soldiers of the State armed forces who were seen at the scene of crime know how his son came to his death, witness replied to a question by the court.

Witness further said that he came to know the cause of the death of his son by shooting according to the medical report of the Judicial Medical Officer who held the postmortem examination on the bodies of slain students.

Witness added that his son was not connected with politics and he had no enemy. Witness said his son was following a course in civil engineering after qualifying in the GCE A/L examination. For the time being he was a teacher in a school in Salli village to teaching computer technology to students.

Ms Logithasan Loganayaki said Rohanth who was killed in the incident was her eldest son. He left home on the day of incident saying he was going to Kali Kovil. But till 9 p.m. he did not return home. She contacted him through his cellphone but received no answer. She received a message that her son was in the group of students arrested by the army. Thereafter she went to the hospital where a police official told her that her son's name was in the list of dead. She saw the body of her son in the hospital mortuary next day morning, witness said.

Witness said army soldiers who were in the scene of crime should know how his son met with his death. She came to know the cause of death of his son through the postmortem report of the Judicial Medical Officer.

Both witnesses sobbed in open court while giving evidence. They were given chair to sit and give evidence from the witness box on the order of courts, legal sources said.

Mr.V.Ramakamalan, Trincomalee Magistrate appealed in open court that any one who is willing to give evidence in regard to the murder could come forward and do so. He is prepared to record evidence in camera if persons prefer to do so, Magistrate said.

Mr.A.Jegasothy, Senior Attorney-at-Law in Trincomalee watched the interests of the aggrieved parties, legal sources said.

The inquest is to resume Tuesday (January 17).

External Links:

DBSJ:

Terrible truth of the Trincomalee tragedy