Today is the 38th anniversary of the Cheruvila massacre in which 21 people, including three government officials, were murdered in Mahindapura area while taking dry food items for the people sheltered in the refugee camps in Echilampetru area of Trincomalee district from Cheruvila area towards Echilampetru area.
Due to the war situation prevailing in the country on that day, the people of Verugal Division Secretariat had taken shelter in the refugee camps set up at Echilampattu, Poomarattachenai and Maavatichenai. Dry food items for them were being provided by the government through Cheruland Multi Purpose Cooperative Society.
Accordingly, on June 12, 1986, based on the information given to the people by Varnasuriya, who was then the District Government President, 21 people, including three government officials in charge of the camps, went to Cheruvila in a cart with cows.
From there, when they were coming towards Echilampathu with relief supplies, they were intercepted by armed men in Mahintapura, taken 50 meters from the main road, made to kneel down, then cut and shot. In this, 21 people, including three government officials, were killed and three survived with serious injuries. Two of those killed were Muslim brothers.
The following people were killed in the massacre
1. Annamalai Thangaraja – Village Sevakar (Tambalakamam) – Echilampattu Camp
2.Alibhukan – Village Sevakar (Dhoppur) – Bumarathadichenai Camp
3.Ayasu Muhammad Abdul Latif – (Balatoppur) – Resettlement Officer – Poonagar Camp
4.Konamalai Velayutham – Bhoomarathadichenai
5. Kathirkamathampi – Vinayakamurthy – Poomarattichenai
6. Theivendram Navaratnam Poomarattichenai
7.Thampirasa Navaratnam Bhunagar
8. Kanakasabai Kanakasundaram – Poonagar
9. Kathirgamathambi Chellathambi – Poonagar
10. Moothathambi Kasipillai – Poonagar
11. Kathirgamathambi Nagaraza – Poonagar
12. Veerapathran Natesappillai – Poonagar
13. Muttiah Kalirasa – Poonagar
14. Muthukumar Velupillai – Poonagar
15. Velupillai Chitravel – Vinayakapuram, Echilampathu
16. Chitravel Sivalingam – Vinayakapuram, Echilampathu
17. Veerapathran Somasundaram – Vinayakapuram, Echilampathu
18. Chitravel Thambapillai – Vinayakapuram, Echilampathu
19. Nallaiya Parameswaran Estuary in Sri Lanka
20. Damodaram Dharmalingam – Echilampattu
21. Punnyam Mathivathanan – Poomarattichenai
Also, Veerapathran Somasundaran and Velupillai Krishnapillai escaped with serious injuries.
