Murder of K. Tharshan

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K. Tharshan
Died (aged 6)
Sampur, Sri Lanka
Cause of deathDrowning
Known forMurder victim

Kugathas Tharshan (died 25 January 2016; also spelled Kugadas Darshan) was a 6 year old Sri Lankan Tamil boy who was raped and murdered near the Sampur High Security Zone in eastern Sri Lanka in January 2016.[1]

Background[edit]

Tharshan's family resettled in Sampur in 2015. He had enrolled at Sampur Maha Vidyalayam in the first grade, in January 2016.[2][3][4] Eyewitnesses had seen Sri Lanka Navy personnel from a nearby sentry point grooming Tharshan with chocolates and other food.[2][4][5]

Incident[edit]

On 25 January 2016 Tharshan had been playing with his brother and another boy.[3][6] Later Tharshan's father Selvaratnam Kugathas had seen him playing in front of their home.[4] He then disappeared.[4] Tharshan's mother Kugathas Jeyavani went to find him but could not locate him.[3][4][6] He was reported missing at around 5:30 p.m.[2][7] Locals started searching for him and discovered his body in an abandoned well, approximately 30 m (98 ft) from his house, near the "Vidura" navy camp.[2][3][4][7] Locals initially thought that Tharshan had slipped and fell into the well.[3][8] Coroner A. J. A. Noorullah arrived at the scene after a while and instructed a person to retrieve the body.[3][4][8][9] When the body was recovered from the well at around midnight, it was discovered that Tharshan's body had been tied to a stone weighing more than 3 kg (6.6 lb), using shoe laces before being thrown into the well.[4][10][11][12] According to locals there were signs that Tharshan had been sexually abused before being murdered.[2][4][5][7]

Tharshan's body was sent to Trincomalee Hospital for a post-mortem.[8][13] According to Judicial Medical Officer W. R. A. S. Rajapakshe the preliminary post-mortem has revealed that Tharshan died of drowning.[4] Rajapakshe's report was submitted to Muttur Magistrate I. N. Rilwan for further investigation.[4] The police returned Tharshan's body to his family following the post-mortem.[14] According to the police there were no signs of sexual assault.[14]

Investigation[edit]

A fifteen-year-old boy was arrested on 2 February 2016 in connection with the murder.[15][16] However, locals have alleged that navy personnel were responsible for raping and murdering Tharshan and that the police were protecting them.[4][14]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Six year old boy sexually assaulted and murdered in Sampur: suspicion fall on the Navy". Tamil Diplomat. 27 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e "6-year-old Tamil boy brutally raped and killed near genocidal SL Navy Camp in Champoor". TamilNet. 26 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Dead body of a young boy tied with stone retrieved from a well in Jaffna! – Who are brutal killers?". Tamil CNN. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Thambiah, Mirudhula (2 February 2016). "Was child molested before drowning?". Ceylon Today. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Villagers fear boy was molested before death". Ceylon Today. 29 January 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Probe into 6-year-old's body found from well: No arrests made". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 29 January 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "Six year old Tamil boy raped and murdered in Sampur". Tamil Guardian. 26 January 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "Body of child found in a Sampoor well". Ceylon Today. 28 January 2016.
  9. ^ Santiago, Melanie (27 January 2016). "Police probe Ingiriya, Padukka, Muttur killings". News First.
  10. ^ "Child Roped In A Stone and Thrown Into A Well". Hiru News. 26 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Body of a 6 year old found inside a well in Sampur". newsradio.lk. 26 January 2016.
  12. ^ Ranwala, Madura (27 January 2016). "Boy dumped into well". The Island (Sri Lanka).
  13. ^ "Six-year-old's body found in abandoned well". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 28 January 2016.
  14. ^ a b c "SL police shields military culprits of rape in East". TamilNet. 27 January 2016.
  15. ^ "Teenager arrested over killing boy (6)". The Island (Sri Lanka). 3 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Teenager arrested in connection with Sampur murder". Ceylon Today. 3 February 2016.
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