• Main role of Police is to provide security/support to excavations; not to initiate the same: Public Security Min.
• Public Security Min. claims many of those speaking out had the authority to take action before

The Police will obtain the necessary approval from the respective courts and take appropriate action to excavate mass graves, if any, if related complaints are received, said the Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said that the role of the Police is to provide security and support excavation activities related to mass graves – not to initiate such excavations on their own. “The Police don’t have to go around digging up graves. That responsibility lies with the Ministry of Justice. We only provide the necessary security. However, if there’s a complaint about a mass grave, the Police will report it to court and carry out any required actions, including excavations, based on the court’s instructions.”

Responding to recent political commentary on the issue of mass graves in the country, he said that many of those speaking out now were in power for years and had the authority to take action back then. “Some of them even held key positions like the Minister of Justice. If they were serious about these issues, they could’ve done something at the time.”

Sri Lanka has a long history with mass graves, many of which are believed to be linked to the country’s decades-long civil conflict and political violence. One of the most well-known cases is the discovery of a mass grave in Chemmani, Jaffna, in the late 1990s. This grave was said to contain the remains of people who had disappeared during military operations in the North.

Over the years, several other sites have been discovered, especially in areas that saw heavy fighting or where enforced disappearances were reported. Among them are the mass graves found in Mannar (Thiruketheeswaram), Matale, Kalavanchikudy, and more recently in Kokkuthuduwai and Mullaitivu. Human rights groups and families of the missing have consistently called for independent investigations, but progress has often been slow due to various reasons.