A widow who gave evidence to the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) is now rattled by the summon given by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). CID has asked Ratnam Poongothai, a forty five year old widow of four children from Kalmunai to give detailed explanation on what she said to the government appointed war panel, LLRC.
Initially Poongothai was asked to attend the Fourth Floor of the CID head quarters but later rearranged the interview to take place in Kalmunei police station.
The message was conveyed by Kalmunai police and LLRC has informed the Divisional Secretariat about the investigation.
“LLRC told me to attend the interview. I am afraid to attend it alone as I am fear of my security, people who gave me a hard time after testifying in front of LLRC are there” She said.
Poongodathi prefers to have human rights activists or lawyer present when she attends the interview.
In 2007, Ratnam Poongothai was unlawfully arrested by police. Same year Iniabarathi, a leader of breakaway group of LTTE, abducted and tortured her for two weeks.
Unlawful detention
Again in 2009 Police arrested Poongothai when she was at the Batticaloa Hospital and handed over to the CID after two months. In April same year Poongothai’s sister, a widow and a mother of three, was arrested by police and disappeared.
“My husband was killed, two brothers disappeared, a sister gang raped but these things happened before 1990’s. I only seek justice for the events that took place after 2007, my abduction and disappearance of my sister” Poongothai added.
According to Poongothai her family was not involved with Tamil Tigers or politics.
“People who had personal grudges against us destroy my family for personal gains” she said.