Revenge killing by suspected paramilitaries

Two sisters of Puhalventhan, Mrs. Yogarasa Yogeswary, 26, and Thurairasa Vathany, 17, were shot dead, Wednesday night, by suspected paramilitaries, at Palacholai in Batticaloa. Puhalventhan, a renegade paramilitary cadre from Karuna Group, had surrendered along with Gnanatheepan, his colleague, to the LTTE in Amparai, Tuesday. The sisters were shot as they emerged from their door to greet two callers who had entered the compound around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. A two years old child was seriously wounded.

Puhalventhan and Gnanatheepan claimed responsibility for the killing of Iniyabharathy, a senior Karuna operative, allegedly responsible for a series of recent attacks on Muslims with the intention of provoking Tamil-Muslim riots and Muslim-LTTE dissension.

The two claimed that the Karuna Group to which they belonged was attached to a Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) camp in the area, from which the group conducted raids on Muslim and Tamil villages.

Eravur Police, investigating the case, said that Yogeswary’s child, Usha, 02, seriously wounded and rushed to the base hospital at Batticaloa, was still in critical condition.

Palacholai, a village in Vantharumoolai, is located 18 km north of Batticaloa town.

The assailants had lobbed a grenade into the house before leaving the place, civilian sources said.

(http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=16502)