A three-day excavation at a suspected mass grave site in Kurukkalmadam, Batticaloa concluded on April 2 without unearthing any human remains or artefacts, the Office on Missing Persons confirmed.
The dig was ordered by Magistrate J.B.A. Ranjithkumar on August 25, 2025, under the Office on Missing Persons Act No. 14 of 2016. It stemmed from a complaint filed in 2014, followed by ground-penetrating radar surveys at witness-identified locations in 2015.
Families attended
More than 50 family members of missing persons attended the first day of excavation, with additional relatives visiting throughout the operation. The site relates to disappearances during Sri Lanka’s civil conflict.
Kaluwanchikudy Magistrate D. Pradeepan supervised the work, which involved judicial medical officers with forensic anthropology expertise, Department of Archaeology officials, Scene of Crime Officers, and Sri Lanka Police.
Difficult conditions, continued search
Officials cited sandy soil conditions and the presence of water as technical challenges that complicated the excavation. Despite the inconclusive result, the OMP said it “will continue to identify other potential locations within the site.”
The outcome underscores the difficulty of locating conflict-era remains more than 15 years after the war ended, even at sites identified through witness accounts and radar surveys. It is part of a broader reconciliation process that includes ongoing accountability proceedings related to Sri Lanka’s civil conflict.
