The Kaluvanchikudi Magistrate’s Court today, August 25, 2025, granted permission to excavate a mass grave believed to contain the remains of 168 Muslims who were abducted and killed during the civil war in 1990 by Tamil groups fight for freedom. The victims were pilgrims and traders returning home from the holy Hajj pilgrimage. The massacre took place on July 12, 1990, at Kurukkalmadam, on the Kalmunai-Batticaloa main road.
The decision comes after a hearing last month, on July 21, 2025, during which the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) reiterated its support for a proper excavation of the site. Lawyers for the OMP stated their readiness to act as observers if the court issued the order.
Advocates S.H.M. Manardeen, Mubarak Muazzam, and J. Razi Muhammad of Voices Movement represented the petitioner, Rauf A. Majeed, in today’s proceedings.
The Kurukkalmadam massacre is one of many such incidents that took place during Sri Lanka’s long-running civil war. The excavation represents a significant step towards providing closure and justice for the victims’ families, who have been waiting for over three decades.
