Youth disappeared in Ilavalai, parents complain to NESOHR

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 15:11 GMT]
Unknown persons who came with Sri Lanka Army soldiers abuducted a boy, Rajeevmohan, in Ilavalai, 13 km north of Jaffna town Monday night. NE Secretariat on Human Rights, NESOHR, has filed a Case Report on the disappearence with an eyewitness account from the mother of the disappeared youth.

Full text of the Case Report follows:

NESOHR Case Report issued on 10th January 2006

Abduction of Balakrishnan Rajeevmohan by Sri Lankan Army

The incident

On the night of 9th January (i.e. 1.00 am Tuesday 10 January 2006) six or seven persons wearing black balaclava shone torch lights into the home of Rajivmohan while all the occupants of the house were asleep. The invaders knocked on all the windows around their home and asked them to open the door for checking. Occupants got up, switched on the lights, and opened the door. The persons in balclava grabbed young Rajeevmohan. Rajeevmohan’s mother started to scream. The men in balclava put a gun to her throat and threatened her not to shout. They told the occupants to remain in one room and switch all the lights off. The men in balaclava spoke to the occupants in good Tamil indicating they were Tamil speaking. The two gates to the house were shut and padlocked. The men therefore entered the premises of the house by jumping over the fence. Once they grabbed young Rajeevmohan they asked an older occupant of the house to open the gate. When the occupant was locating the keys, the men in balaclava slapped him on the face for taking long to open the gate.

Once the abductors left through the gate with Rajeevmohan, about 25 Sri Lankan army men shouting in Sinhala who have surrounded the house until then also ran out and got in their vehicles. There was one white van and two army vehicles in which the Sri Lankan army soldiers and the men in balaclava left with Rajeevmohan.

Elavalai police station is only 100 metres from their home and the street was well lit. Family ran to the police station to lay complaint. They then went to the SLMM office and also the Jaffna branch of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission and laid complaints. They have also laid a complaint in our office.

Rajeevmohan’s Details:
Name: Balakrishnan Rajeevmohan
Age: 21 years. DOB 3 March 1985
Address: College Road (Kalluri Road), Elavalai, Jaffna

Rajeevmohan was an old student of St Henry’s college in Elavalai. He worked in the city of Doha in Qatar for 20 months and returned only four months ago back to Jaffna. He was very depressed and unhappy that he was not able to earn enough money while in Doha although his parents send him there at some expense to earn money.

Distraught mother told NESOHR that he is a very soft boy who had no involvement in any outside activities.

There are good reasons for the family’s fear. Various reports in the local media have stated that several people who were taken away like this from their homes over the last two months have disappeared.

Dr N Malathy
(NESOHR Secretary)