[see also
Rajiv Gandhi's War Crimes]
"Attacks against the civilian population or
civilians by way of reprisals are prohibited." - Articles
50(4), 50(6), 1977 Protocol to 1949 Geneva Conventions
"In the northeast hundreds of people were arrested by the
Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) and screened for links with the
LTTE. Members of the EPRLF and allied Tamil groups aided the IPKF
in identifying suspects. Relatives of LTTE suspects were also
detained. The Indian authorities did not disclose whether these
detainees were held under Sri Lankan or Indian legislation. There
were no reports that the detainees had been charged or tried.
In August the Indian authorities reportedly said that 5,489
prisoners were in IPKF custody. Members of the EPRLF and other
Tamil groups regularly arrested and detained LTTE suspects...
Both the IPKF and groups allied with them reportedly tortured
prisoners. Indian troops regularly beat prisoners and
subjected them to electric shocks. Dozens of prisoners were
reportedly killed in custody.
There were dozens of cases in which arrests by the IPKF or EPRLF
were witnessed and after the authorities said the detainees were
released, their bodies were found with gun shot wounds...
Several reprisal attacks by the IPKF after ambushes by the LTTE
were reported. Upto 46 people were extrajudicially executed at
Valvettiturai in August 1989 after the LTTE had ambushed an IPKF
patrol there and killed six Indian soldiers. Among the
reported victims was a one year child. Many extrajudicial
killings in the northeast were reportedly committed by the EPRLF
and their allies, acting with the backing or acquiescence of the
IPKF.
The EPRLF was allegedly responsible for scores of extra judicial
executions...at least two of six Tamil asylum seekers who were
forcibly returned to Sri Lanka from the United Kingdom in
February 1988 had been tortured after their return. One of the
victims was reportedly tortured by the IPKF in Jaffna, and the
other by police in Jaffna." -- Amnesty International
Annual Report, 1990 for period January to December 1989
"Dozens of people were killed in Valvettiturai (in the
North) on the 2nd of August 1989 by members of the IPKF(Indian
Peace Keeping Force). The attack was in apparent reprisal for an
incident earlier in the day when, according to reports, six
soldiers of the 17th Sikh regiment were killed and 11 injured
when the LTTE ambushed an IPKF patrol in Valvettiturai market.
A few hours after the clash,
members of the IPKF reportedly
returned to Valvettiturai, a known LTTE stronghold, and rampaged
through the town, killing 52 residents, many of whom are believed
to have been defenceless and deliberately killed, and setting
fire to houses and property. The IPKF cordoned off the town
for two and a half days, denying access to medical personnel who
were trying to reach the injured. In some cases IPKF soldiers
entered houses where people were taking refuge and shot them.
Twenty people were sheltering in the house of Vengadasalam
Subramanaiam when IPKF soldiers entered:
'All of us then went forward raising our hands. (Subramaniam)
also went forward raising his hands and attempted to speak to the
soldiers. But the soldiers started firing. Those in front fell
down.' Subramaniam was killed along with eight
others..." - Amnesty International Sri Lanka Briefing,
19 September 1990
