K. Tharshan | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 2, 2009 |
| Died | (aged 6) Sampur, Sri Lanka |
| Cause of death | Drowning |
| Known for | Murder victim |
Kugathas Tharshan (died 25 January 2016; also spelled Kugadas Darshan) was a 6-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil boy who was raped and murdered near the Sampur High Security Zone in eastern Sri Lanka in January 2016. [1]
Tharshan's family resettled in Sampur in 2015. He had enrolled at Sampur Maha Vidyalayam in the first grade, in January 2016. [2] [3] [4] Eyewitnesses had seen Sri Lanka Navy personnel from a nearby sentry point grooming Tharshan with chocolates and other food. [2] [4] [5]
On 25 January 2016 Tharshan had been playing with his brother and another boy. [3] [6] Later Tharshan's father Selvaratnam Kugathas had seen him playing in front of their home. [4] He then disappeared. [4] Tharshan's mother Kugathas Jeyavani went to find him but could not locate him. [3] [4] [6] He was reported missing at around 5:30 p.m. [2] [7] Locals started searching for him and discovered his body in an abandoned well, approximately 30 m (98 ft) from his house, near the "Vidura" navy camp. [2] [3] [4] [7] Locals initially thought that Tharshan had slipped and fell into the well. [3] [8] Coroner A. J. A. Noorullah arrived at the scene after a while and instructed a person to retrieve the body. [3] [4] [8] [9] When the body was recovered from the well at around midnight, it was discovered that Tharshan's body had been tied to a stone weighing more than 3 kg (6.6 lb), using shoe laces before being thrown into the well. [4] [10] [11] [12] According to locals there were signs that Tharshan had been sexually abused before being murdered. [2] [4] [5] [7]
Tharshan's body was sent to Trincomalee Hospital for a post-mortem. [8] [13] According to Judicial Medical Officer W. R. A. S. Rajapakshe the preliminary post-mortem has revealed that Tharshan died of drowning. [4] Rajapakshe's report was submitted to Muttur Magistrate I. N. Rilwan for further investigation. [4] The police returned Tharshan's body to his family following the post-mortem. [14] According to the police there were no signs of sexual assault. [14]
A fifteen-year-old boy was arrested on 2 February 2016 in connection with the murder. [15] [16] However, locals have alleged that navy personnel were responsible for raping and murdering Tharshan and that the police were protecting them. [4] [14]
