Image: Pillayan has been a close collaborator of all Rajapaksas including Ranil Rajapaksa.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has identified the location of a camp in Welikanda, previously operated by Pillayan’s group, where Professor Sivasubramaniam Ravindranath—former Vice-Chancellor of the Eastern University—was abducted, detained, tortured, and murdered.
Investigations reveal that following the split from the LTTE, Pillayan and Karuna Amman operated the Welikanda site as a camp. After a falling-out between the two, Karuna Amman attacked the facility, leading to its abandonment.
A senior police officer stated that Professor Ravindranath was abducted on December 15, 2006, while returning from a conference in Colombo. He was taken to the Welikanda camp, held captive, and tortured to death. The officer also confirmed that many others were tortured and killed at the site. CID officers have interviewed some of the surviving victims and recorded their statements.
The camp is believed to have been operational since 2005. Residents of nearby villages reported hearing frequent screams from the site and noted unbearable noises and foul smells, suggesting torture and death within the camp. After the war, the surrounding land was used for paddy cultivation, but the camp itself—on elevated ground—remains intact and under CID surveillance.
The CID has also questioned individuals associated with Pillayan who were stationed at the camp. Their testimonies support claims that it was used as a torture site. It is believed that Professor Ravindranath’s body was disposed of in a nearby stream, which is also being monitored.
In addition to this case, the CID has received information on five other murders allegedly committed by Pillayan’s group in and around Batticaloa. These include the killings of a police officer and another individual at a party, two men (including Shanthan, an army informant) shot while riding a motorcycle, and a businessman who was murdered for refusing to pay ransom.
In the case of the police officer, it was found that he was lured outside a party venue under the pretense of drinking alcohol and then shot dead.
The current government has reopened several controversial investigations previously suppressed. Among them is the abduction and murder of Professor Ravindranath. CID officers arrested former State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillayan, on April 8 on suspicion of involvement. His driver was also arrested on April 17. Both are currently held under detention orders as investigations continue.
( With the inputs from an article published in Dinamina.)