Tortured Jaffna undergrad commits suicide

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 April 2010, 20:21 GMT]
26-year-old Balasingham Karunanithi, a third year student of the Faculty of Management in Jaffna University, arrested and tortured by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) when he was held in a Vavuniyaa detention camp after the war on Vanni, committed suicide in Jaffna at a house in Naachchimaar Koayiladi where he was staying, sources in Jaffna said. Karunanithi is the fourth Vanni undergraduate of Jaffna University to commit suicide due to mental derangement resulting from their detention in SLA detention centres in Vavuniyaa, the sources added. A medical faculty student and two first year girl students of Jaffna University had committed suicide after the final offensive on Vanni.

SLA arrested Karunanithi on suspicion that he had been trained as a combatant by Liberation Tigers when he was caught in Vanni and had tortured him, the sources said.

Karunanithi, a native of Poonakari, had been permitted by SLA to continue his studies at Jaffna University only in January 2010.

He was being treated for mental illness in Thellippazhai government hospital after rejoining Jaffna University but he had not turned up for treatment lately, hospital sources said.

Karunathi is said to have taken poison to end his life and his body was recovered Friday from the house in Naachchimaar Koayiladi where he was staying.

The fourth incident of a Vanni student of Jaffna University committing suicide due to mental stress has created anxiety among fellow students.