The discovery of hundreds of skeletal remains at Semmani in Jaffna has renewed international attention on allegations of wartime disappearances, mass killings, and demands for accountability over events that occurred during Sri Lanka’s civil conflict.
According to Tamil representatives and activists, more than 471 sets of skeletal remains have been recovered from the Semmani site, which they say is linked to alleged mass graves dating from the late 1990s. The excavations have become a focal point for renewed calls for an independent investigation into disappearances and alleged human rights violations.
The controversy traces back to the 1996 killing of Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, an 18-year-old student of Chundikuli Girls’ College, who disappeared while travelling through a military checkpoint in Jaffna. Her mother Rasamma Kumaraswamy, brother Pranavan Kumaraswamy, and neighbour Chidambaram Kirubamoorthy were also killed after reportedly going to the area to inquire about her disappearance.
The case later led to investigations that uncovered allegations of secret burial sites in the Semmani area. In 1998, a Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar convicted several soldiers involved in the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy murder case, with some receiving death sentences.
Former soldier Somarathna Rajapaksa, who was convicted in the case, later provided information about alleged mass grave locations in Semmani. An earlier search in 1999 did not locate remains at the sites he identified. However, decades later, skeletal remains were discovered during construction work near the Semmani area, leading to renewed court involvement and official excavations.
The latest excavation process began in 2025 after remains were uncovered during foundation work for the Sithuppathi cemetery area. Authorities later approved further excavation efforts, which have continued as forensic teams examine the recovered remains.
Tamil political groups and activists have described the findings as evidence of a broader pattern of alleged wartime abuses against civilians in Jaffna and have called for international involvement in establishing accountability.
A delegation from the European Union visited the excavation site on 22 July 2026 to observe the ongoing recovery efforts and review the situation surrounding the discovered remains.
The Sri Lankan government has previously maintained that allegations of systematic state-sponsored killings require evidence-based investigations and that legal proceedings related to individual crimes have been handled through the country’s judicial system.
The Semmani excavations remain ongoing, with authorities expected to continue forensic analysis to determine the identities of those whose remains have been recovered and establish the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
P. Ariyanethiran
