'Exhume' child workers' bodies

The judiciary in Sri Lanka has ordered the police to submit a new post-mortem report after exhuming the bodies of two teenage girls from plantation sector.


Bodies of two Tamil girls from estate sector, Lakshmanan Sumadhi, 13, and Madhuraweeran Jayarani, 16, were found in a canal near Torrington Place, Colombo on 15 August.

The two teenage girls have been working as domestic servants for ULM Kaushik and WM Fazar in Baudhaloka Mawatha in Colombo, according to media reports.

It is illegal to employ children as domestic workers in Sri Lanka.

'Committed suicide'

Police said the two girls have committed suicide but the parents have expressed doubts as the handwriting in the letter supposedly written by the girls did not match with their handwriting.

Deputy Justice Minister V Putrasigamani, himself a Tamil of Indian origin, has ordered a special investigation into the deaths of two Tamil girls of Indian origin.

He also accused the police of failing to conduct a thorough investigation.

“I can’t believe that one can commit suicide by jumping into a small canal,” he told journalist KS Udayakumar.

E Thambiah, Attorney at Law appearing for the interests of the deceased, told BBC Sandeshaya that the parents are also suspicious of the medical report.

“Parents have noticed some injuries before the post-mortem but there was no mention of injuries in the autopsy report by Dr. Kulathunga,” he said.

The police were ordered by the Colombo magistrate to submit the new post-mortem report on 11 September.

BBC Sandeshaya