2005 Inuvil shooting and protests
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  Inuvil Location Inuvil in northern Sri Lanka | |
| Date | 4 August 2005 |
|---|---|
| Location | Inuvil, Sri Lanka |
| Coordinates | 9°43′00.7″N 80°01′18.7″E / 9.716861°N 80.021861°E |
| Deaths | 2 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 1 |
On 4 August 2005 a barber was shot dead by soldiers in Inuvil in northern Sri Lanka. A police officer was abducted and killed in the subsequent protests by locals.
At around 1pm on 4 August 2005 five soldiers arrived at a barbershop at Inuvil Junction on the Jaffna-Kankesanturai road in Inuvil.[1] Three of the soldiers handed over their firearms to the other two who stepped outside.[2] As two of the soldiers were having their hair cut a firearm discharged from outside, piercing the flimsy metal frontage of the barbershop and hitting barbers Jeyaseelan Shantharubann (23) and K. Logathas (29).[1] Shantharubann, a native of Trincomalee District living in Kondavil and working in his uncle's barbershop, was pronounced dead on arrival at Jaffna Hospital.[1][3] Logathas was treated for shock.[2]
Protests
As news of the shooting spread, tension mounted in the area and locals started gathering at the scene at around 3pm.[1][2] Troops stationed nearby also rushed to scene but were met by an angry crowd that blocked the road by cutting down nearby trees, burnt tyres and stoned army vehicles.[1][2] The protestors demanded that the soldiers, who they claimed had deliberately shot the barbers, be brought to justice.[1][2]
With around 1,000 people taking part in the protests, police from nearby Achchuveli and Chunnakam arrived at the scene together with the riot squad.[2] By 5pm the situation was worsening when Superintendent Charles Wijewardena arrived with reinforcements.[2] Wijewardena, the most senior police officer at the scene, decided to negotiate with the protestors and walked over to them, leaving the police position which was some distance from the protestors.[2] As dusk fell the police lost sight of Wijewardena who had disappeared.[2] Eyewitnesses claimed that Wijewardena had been taken captive by protestors and taken away from the protest site.[3]
A search operation was mounted and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which was monitoring the ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was informed of Wijewardena's disappearance.[2] His body was found in Palavodai on the Inuvil-Suthumalai road about 2 km from the shooting site.[2][3] His body had cut and stab wounds and he was in a sarong rather than trousers.[2]
The protesters dispersed after a curfew was imposed, initially in the Valikamam region and then the whole of Jaffna District.[4][5]
Wijewardena's funeral was held on 7 August 2005 in his hometown of Kurunegala.[6]
