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Sri Lankan Tamil students V. Sulakshan and N. Gajan were shot dead by police in Kokkuvil in northern Sri Lanka on the night of 20 October 2016.[1][2]
| Date | 20 October 2016 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Kokkuvil, Sri Lanka |
| Participants | V. Sulakshan, N. Gajan and Sri Lanka Police |
| Deaths | Two |
Vijayakumar[a] Sulakshan[b] was 24 years old and from Kandarodai.[3][4] Nadarajah[c] Gajan was 23 years old and from Iranaimadu.[3][4][5] Both men were third year students at the University of Jaffna's Faculty of Arts and were studying political science and journalism.[3][4][6]
On the night of 20 October 2016 Gajan attended a social event at Sulakshan's house in Jaffna.[4] After the event Sulakshan was returning Gajan to his student hostel in Chunnakam on a motorcycle when, at around 11.30pm, the pair were shot by police at Kulapiddy junction on the Jaffna-KKS Road in Kokkuvil.[3][4] According to the police the students had failed to stop at a police roadblock at the junction and sped off.[4][7] The police opened fire, hitting the rider, Sulakshan, twice in the head and killing him.[4][7] The motorcycle rammed into a parapet wall on the roadside which resulted in serious injuries to the passenger, Gajan.[4] The police claimed that the students were under the influence of alcohol.[4][7][8]
Sulakshan and Gajan were rushed to Jaffna Teaching Hospital where Sulakshan was pronounced dead whilst Gajan succumbed to his injuries shortly afterwards.[4]
A tense situation prevailed in the area after the incident as other students surrounded the hospital's mortuary.[5] The news of the shooting was suppressed by the police and it was not until the following night that the event was reported in Sri Lanka's national media.[3][4] The police initially denied that there was a shooting, claiming that the two deaths were accidental.[3][4][9] This led to accusations of a police cover-up.[3][10][11][12]
On the morning of 21 October 2016, Jaffna Magistrate S. Satheeshkaran arrived at the scene of the shooting to begin a magisterial inquiry.[4] Post-mortems were carried out that afternoon and initial reports suggested that bullets were found in the victims' bodies.[3][4] Sulakshan was reported to have been shot three times and had injuries to his chest, neck and spine.[3] Gajan was reportedly shot at least once.[3] According to the official Judicial Medical Officer's report, Sulakshan was killed by a shot in the chest and Gajan died of head injuries sustained during the crash into the wall.[9][13] The students bodies were returned to their parents but they were ordered to bury them rather than cremate.[5]
After the post-mortem contradicted the police's earlier statement, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department were sent to take over the investigation.[14][15] On 22 October 2016 five police personnel, a sub-inspector, a sergeant, two constables and a driver, were arrested and remanded until 4 November 2016.[5][16][17]
Expressing grief over the deaths, President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena ordered an impartial inquiry and compensation for the students' parents.[18][19] The shooting was condemned by the Tamil National Alliance, the largest political party representing Sri Lankan Tamils.[20][21][22]
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