Jaffna, August 2, 2025 – Today marks the 36th anniversary of the horrific Valvettiturai massacre, carried out by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) on August 2, 1989. Often referred to as “India’s My Lai” — a grim comparison to the infamous U.S. massacre in Vietnam — this atrocity remains one of the darkest chapters in Tamil history and a deliberate crime against humanity committed under the guise of peacekeeping.
What occurred that day in Valvettiturai was not a military operation — it was a calculated campaign of terror. The Indian Army went from house to house, gunning down unarmed civilians. Women were subjected to brutal sexual violence, and children and the elderly were murdered without mercy. It was a chilling operation that bore the hallmarks of genocidal violence. Decades later, it remains etched into the collective memory of the Tamil people.
✸Truths Buried by Time
Despite repeated calls for justice from human rights organizations and Tamil political voices, the Indian state has never initiated an investigation or held anyone accountable for the massacre. As time erodes memories and buries facts, there are those who now attempt to sanctify the very individuals and groups complicit in these war crimes.
✸EPRLF and the Role of Local Collaborators
One crucial and often overlooked element of the Valvettiturai massacre is the involvement of local collaborators — particularly members of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF). At the time, EPRLF operated closely with the Indian Army, acting as informants and logistical supporters of the IPKF.
Among the figures being rebranded today as a ‘freedom fighter’ or even a ‘martyr’ is EPRLF leader Padmanabha. However, for those who witnessed the massacre, including myself — a child at the time — the truth is painfully clear. EPRLF-linked operatives were on the ground that day, directly identifying homes, pointing out individuals, and working hand-in-hand with Indian soldiers in the massacre of civilians.
✸Where Does Morality Lie?
So, the question must be asked — under what moral framework, under which ideal of Tamil liberation or justice, can those who were complicit in a massacre of Tamil civilians be portrayed as saints or heroes?
Any political revisionism that attempts to erase the EPRLF’s role in the Valvettiturai massacre, or worse, canonize its leadership, must be firmly rejected by a people who seek genuine liberation and historical truth.
✸What We Must Remember Today
We remember the innocent lives lost in the 1989 Valvettiturai massacre.
We remember the silence and impunity that followed.
We remember the complicity of collaborators who betrayed their people.
And above all, we remember our duty — to speak the truth, even when others try to rewrite it.
✧✧✧
Let this day be not just a remembrance of the past, but a commitment to resist the erasure of truth and a vow to honor the memory of the victims — not with silence, but with clarity, justice, and unwavering voice.
02/08/2025
Written by
Eelaththu Nilavan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Amizhthu’s editorial stance.
