| Krishanti Kumaraswamy | |
|---|---|
Krishanti Kumaraswamy |
|
| Born | 1977 Jaffna, Sri Lanka |
| Died | August 7, 1996 Jaffna, Sri Lanka |
| Occupation | Student |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Parents | Rassammah and Kumarswamy |
Krishanti Kumaraswamy, also spelled Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, was a minority Tamil girl in Sri Lanka who was raped and murdered in 7 August 1996 by 6 Sri Lankan Army soldiers; the effort to bring her assailants to justice became a cause celebre as a part of the protest against atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan Army during the Sri Lanka civil war.
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On August 7, 1996 Krishanthy Kumaraswamy went missing on her way home after sitting her GCE Advanced Level examination which equivalent to grade 12 in many countries at Chundikuli Girls High School. She was last seen alive at 11.30 am at Kaithady Army checkpoint in Jaffna.
Her mother Rassammah, brother Pranavan (Age 16), and family friend Mr. Kirupakaran (Age 35) became concerned and went in search of Krishanthy. They were also murdered. [1]
According to pro-rebel Tamilnet Forty five days later, the bodies of the four were later found in shallow graves within the army base. A three quarter width rope was found tied round the neck of mother Rassammah’s corpse. Mr Kirupakaran too appeared to have been strangled in the same manner since the rope was wound tightly round his body. The bodies of Krishanthy and her brother Pranavan were cut in several pieces and haphazardly wrapped in black colored sheets. [2]
Later investigations revealed that she was abducted by five soldiers and another six gang raped and killed her at the checkpoint.[3]
Amnesty International and other human rights organizations like Women for Peace[4] launched a sustained campaign to pressure the Sri Lankan government to arrest and prosecute the soldiers. Six soldiers who were directly involved in the raping were sentenced to death by the court of the government of Sri Lanka.[5]
In the court case about her rape and murder one of the accused informed the state about an alleged mass grave known as Chemmani mass graves that was investigated to contain 15 bodies.[6]
According to pro-rebel Tamilnet, a local activist who worked to expose her case was killed by unknown gunmen on February 1, 2007[2].