Youth shot dead in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 16 February 2001, 16:27 GMT]
A youth was shot dead by the Sri Lanka army in Nanthaavil, north of Jaffna town Friday morning. SLA sources told Tamilnet that the youth was shot near the checkpoint at the Amman temple in Nanthaavil. The area was searched by the SLA following the incident.

Nanthaavil is a densely populated neighbourhood in the interior of Kondavil a large town close to the northern outskirts of Jaffna city.

Sri Lankan military sources claimed that the youth was armed and had tried to open fire when halted by soldiers manning the checkpoint. The army handed over the body of the youth to the Police in Kopay.

The Police, however, declined to comment until the inquest and investigations into the shooting are over.

The Police brought the body to the Jaffna teaching hospital around 2 p.m. this afternoon. No one has claimed the body so far, hospital sources said.