Krishanthi Kumaraswamy rape and killing, Kaithady, Jaffna

Krishanthi Kumaraswamy was gang raped and killed by six SLA soldiers while returning home after sitting for one of her GCE Advanced Level Examination papers. Her mother, younger brother and a neighbour who went in search of her were also killed and buried, along with Krishanthy, in shallow graves within the Kaithady Army Camp.

The concerted campaign to bring her assailants to justice, spearheaded by the women’s movement in Sri Lanka, made her a cause celebre and was used to highlight the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan Army in the north.