A visit by a European Union delegation to Sri Lanka's Chemmani mass grave site on Wednesday sparked a protest by relatives of the victims, who demanded an international investigation into the case.

The visit came as Tamil families, rights groups and international organisations continued to call for an independent international inquiry, saying Sri Lanka's domestic accountability processes have not inspired confidence. Chemmani, in the northern Jaffna district, has for years been linked to allegations that civilians who disappeared during the country's nearly three-decade civil war were buried there.

Members of the Association of Relatives of Enforced Disappearances staged a protest and handed a memorandum to the delegation, urging an international probe into the mass grave. A large number of women were among the protesters. They stood before the delegation holding placards and photographs of their dead relatives, and renewed their long-standing demand for an investigation by international agencies. The delegation included ambassadors of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

Human rights lawyer Ranitha Gnanaraja said 467 skeletal remains had been recovered during 93 days of excavation at the site. The remains were first discovered during construction work in February 2025, after which excavations began three months later under judicial supervision. The excavation has so far taken place in three phases, with the latest phase beginning in April.

Gnanaraja said 13 skeletal remains were recovered on Tuesday, including those of three children. He also said one set of remains found last week appeared to be in a meditative posture. Partly burnt bones, infant feeding bottles, school bags, children's toys, coins and pieces of jewellery have also been unearthed during the excavation.

Sri Lanka's civil war between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam began in 1983 and ended in 2009 after the military defeated the LTTE. Rooted in long-running ethnic tensions and the LTTE's demand for an independent Tamil state, the conflict left behind unresolved allegations of disappearances and wartime abuses against both sides, with the Chemmani site remaining at the centre of those concerns.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends

Published By:

India Today Web Desk

Published On:

Jul 22, 2026 13:44 IST