Puthukkaddu junction is in the Pachchilaipalli AGA Division of Kilinochchi District and lies on the A9 road. Soranpattu, Karanthai and other smaller villages surrounds this junction. This is a T-junction that joins the roads to Maruthankerni, Palai and Kilinochchi. Thus this junction is mostly crowded with travellers going to these areas.
On 11 October 1987, around 3.30pm Indian forces in heavy military vehicles moved from their Elephant Pass military camp towards Jaffna. At the Puthukkaddu junction, the Indian forces suddenly jumped off their vehicles and started shooting at the people who were waiting at the junction, to catch buses for their onward journeys and to shop at the adjoining shops. Eight civilians were killed in this shooting and four more were injured.
Ilayathambi Perambalan, who owned a shop at this junction and lost two of his children in the above massacre, says,
“The Indian forces suddenly jumped off their vehicles and started shooting at the people waiting in the bus stand and at the shops. Because it was a Sunday, my eldest son and youngest daughter were with me at my shop. In addition one of my shop employees was also there. The Indian forces set fire to the three of them together with the shop. I recovered the three burnt bodies later. All four shops at this junction were smashed by their tanks. A car parked at the junction was also set on fire”.
Available details of those killed (No., Name, Occupation, Age)
01. Kanagaratnam, Driver, 35
02. Kulanthaivelu Selvarasa, Retailer, 22
03. Ponnaih Navaratnam, Security guard, 34
04. Ponnaih Subramanium, Retailer, 40
05. Perambalam Maheswaran, Student, 10
06. Perambalam Kohiladevi, Student, 14
07. Velayutham Senthilnathan, Student, 14
08. Sinnathamby Pasupathipillai, Farmer, 41
Available details of those injured (No., Name, Age)
01. Kanapathipillai Ketheeswaran, 14
02. Subramanium Ehamparan, 45
03. Sinnakuddi Sivarupan, 16
04. Arumugam Balasingam, 30