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Valvai massacre – 2, 3, 4 August 1989

Presently the village of Valvettithurai in the Vadamaradchi area consists of four adjacent villages of approximately 5 square kilometres and it is a Municipal town. At the time of the incident it was just 300 acres sized small town.
On the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of August 1989, the Indian forces declared curfew in Valvettithurai. On 2nd August 1989 the Indian forces began their movement towards Valvettithurai settlement from their camps in Urikkadu and Polikandy. The operation was lead by Brigadier Shankar Prasath of the Indian forces. Assisting him were Captain Menon and Captain Kapoor. Under their leadership, the Sikh regiment, Blackcat regiment, Gurka regiment and others took part in this. Since curfew had been declared everyone was inside their homes. The Indian forces rounded the small village of Valvettithurai.

It then began killing women, the elderly and children by shooting, burning and stabbing. Some young men were arrested and then they were lined up in the Valvettithurai junction and shot dead.
Morethan 50 women were raped. Many Hindu temples in the village were destroyed. Young men were even shot and killed inside the temples in front of their relatives. Hundreds of homes and shops were burnt down.
This massacre came to be referred to by the people as the “India’s Mylai Massacre”. More than 63 civilians, including children, women and the elderly were killed in this massacre.
One victim, N Seevaratnam said,
“As my relatives who had gathered at our home for refuge pleaded with the Indian forces, they were shot and killed in front of us. My home, car and all my property in it were destroyed. I, with assistance from my wife and my children, burnt two decomposing bodies that were in our home for three days. Because there was no firewood to burn, I burnt the bodies with the wooden furniture in my home. I thought a vehicle tyre may be useful for burning the bodies and went to the next lane looking for one. I found more bodies there as well. We put those bodies also together and burnt them all.”

Available details of those killed (No., Name, Occupation, Age)
01. Rajalingam Satheeskumar, Student, 18
02. Rasaih Rajaratnam, Fisherman, 33

03. Ramachandran Navaratnam, Retailer, 26
04. Rasakuru Yavanaraj, Student, 13
05. Rasakuru Pushparanee, Retailer, 45
06. Rasa Jeyamayil, Retailer, 20
07. Rasamanickam Nadarasa, Postmaster, 62
08. Easwaramoorthy Rasaladchmi, , 24
09. Nagarasa Gnanakulasingam, Fisherman, 22
10. Nagalingam Pavabrintha, Student, 14
11. Nadarasa Nallamuthu, Home maker, 72
12. Nadarasa Sivakumaran, Student, 25
13. Nadarasa Raveenthiran, Fisherman, 31
14. Nallaratnam Banugopal, Blacksmith, 23
15. Kanthasamy Thangarasa, Retailer, 70
16. Kanthasamy Velumayilum, Labourer, 45
17. Kathikamathamby Sivanesarasa, Retailer, 36
18. Kumaravel Selvananthavel, Student, 18
19. Ganesalingam Sasi, Baby, 01
20. Kulanthaivadivel shanmugavadivel, Labourer, 37
21. Gunaratnam Rasasegaram, Fisherman, 18
22. Balakrishnana Premathas, Driver, 20
23. Balasubramanium Mahenthirathas, Student, 15
24. Balasubramanium Yogenthirarasa, Fisherman, 28
25. Peter Vijayarajan Krishnavatha, Home maker, 33
26. Thalayasingam Jeyamohan, Fisherman, 18
27. Thalayasingam Sivakumar, Fisherman, 21
28. Thurairasa Nagathas, Electrician, 28
29. Thangavelaytham Jeyakumar, Mechanic, 20
30. Thangavelayutham Sambasivam, Fisherman, 18
31. Thanikasalam Ravichandran, Retailer, 28
32. Murukesu Sellathurai, Driver,
33. Appathurai Mathivanan, Retailer, 18
34. Athiarunasalam Parasar, Retailer, 20
35. Athiarnasalam Paramsothi, Retailer, 18
36. Athiarunasalam Sunthareswaran, Student, 12
37. Amirthalingam Umathevi, , 26
38. Arulpragasam Swarnathas, Fisherman, 19
39. Arulappu Ilankainathan, Fisherman, 22
40. Arunasalam Ilayaperumalharbour worker, 76

41. Arumuganathan Ramachandran, Mason, 41
42. Ponnuthurai Rasenthiram, Fisherman, 23
43. Ponnuthurai, Shanmugalingam, driver, 43
44. Ponnambalam Ranjithakumar, Fisherman, 25
45. Ponnaih Kalithas, Blacksmith, 26
46. Senthivel Sakthivel, Fisherman, 24
47. Sothilingam Rameshkumar, Fisherman, 18
48. Sellaih Yogarasa, Farmer, 19
49. selvakathiramalai Mayivahanam, , 55
50. Selvasunthat Thavaseelan, Student, 07
51. Venkadasalam Subramanium, Surveyor,
52. Velumayilum Selvachandran, Sailor, 26
53. Suntharamoorthy Umashankar, Retailer, 22
54. Suntharalingam Gnanavel, Fisherman 21
55. Subramanium Amuthan, Merchant, 28
56. Subramanium Perinpam, student, 20
57. Sinnathurai Thambithurai, Fisherman, 60
58. Sinnathamby Ganesalingam, Labourer, 25
59. sinnathamby Sivalingam, Toddy tapper, 50
60. Sinnavan Kanthan, Labourer, 30
61. Sivaprakasam Sabanayagam, Retailer, 77
62. Sivapakiyam kanthasamy, Washerman, 42
63. Sivalingam Ramanathan, Driver, 35
64. Vadivelu Kumarasamy, Labourer, 89
65. Vijayaratnam Muralitharan, Fisherman, 20
66. Vinayagamoorthy Arulsothi, Labourer, 29