[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
