TID Officer
TID officials had then gone into the interior of the house .When a TID officer went into a room which had a bed and started looking around an unexpected act occurred. A man hiding under the bed fired twice from the floor at TID officer Ratnakumara who was hit on the thigh and groin. The other Police officers were startled by the firing as they had not expected it. The man then jumped out and ran out through the back firing in the air once more. The officers running to the backyard behind the house could not stop him. According to Police sources they had not anticipated armed resistance and hence did not have adequate firearms to counter it.
The TID officers were concerned over their profusely bleeding colleague and summoned an ambulance hastily. The injured cop was taken to Kilinochchi hospital first. The TID officers then continued to remain at the residence and began questioning the mother and daughter. The computer and its contents were examined. More Police officials and over 300 military personnel gathered at the scene. An intensive search was launched for the missing assailant now identified as Gobi in the vicinity.
After many hours of grilling the mother and daughter were taken to Kilinochchi Police station. When it was found that the daughter Vibhooshika had attained puberty only ten days ago on March 3 the Police wanted to leave her at the house of a neighbour or relative in the vicinity. The mother however said there was no one suitable to leave her in the neighbourhood and wanted the daughter to accompany her. Police sources say it was because of the Mother’s wish that the young girl was also taken along. After further questioning of the mother at Kilinochchi both were taken to Vavuniya and presented to the Judicial medical officer for a physical inspection as there was no JMO in Kilinochchi on that day. Police sources say that they obtained a clean certificate from the JMO that both mother and daughter were physically unharmed in any way. Muthukumaru then arranged for the girl to be accommodated at the “Mahadeva Aachirama Saivach Chiruvar Illam” (Mahadeva Ashram Saivaite Childrens home) in Kilinochchi. The childrens home is administered by former Kilinochchi District Government Agent T. Rasanayagam who is the abode’s manager. Earlier efforts were made to house her at the “Anbagham”home run by Catholic sisters in Vavuniya. This however was not possible and the magistrate approved on March 17 that Vibhooshika be accommodated at Mahadeva childrens home.
Meanwhile Mrs. Jeyakumari Balendra was taken to the detention centre in Boosa. Officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited the centre, met with Ms. Jeyakumari and inspected her living conditions there. She is being questioned further by TID officers.
This then is the version of events according to Police sources and informed sources affiliated to the defence establishment. There is however a counter narrative to this official narrative. There have been also other related events subsequent to the shooting incident at Tharmapuram and the detention of Mrs. Jeyakumari Balendra. These events and the counter narrative will be dealt with extensively in a forthcoming article. DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at
djeyaraj2005@yahoo.com