By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

It was sad to see those pictures of slain Jaffna Police Superintendent Charles
Wijewardane published within 30 minutes of his death in \"Nitharsanam\" the Tamil website
run by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Norway. There he was full of life in full
uniform with his genial, handsome face and there he was lying lifeless near a poovarasu
fence in a sarong and half uniform. The Former Police and Sri Lanka Rugby captain
known as \"King Charlie\"to rugger fans had breathed his last in a place called Inuvil in the
Jaffna peninsula.

He was one hell of a place kicker.The best that the Police had after Bagoos Sourjah.
The tries that he converted to goal and the penalties he kicked through successfully were
legendary. So too were his booming kicks to touch changing the state of play on more
than one occasion. The reddish soil of Inuvil was no place for this ace place kicker to lie
dead. But there he was in the wrong place at the wrong time caught up in a cycle of
violence on that fateful day.

Thursday August 4th was \"Aadi Amavaasai\" the day on which departed parents are
remembered. The pattern of violence in Inuvil began at about 12.45 to 12.50 pm. Inuvil is
about four miles from Jaffna town along the Kankesanthurai road. It was at one time
famous for its farms, musicians, and of course the Mcleod Hospital. Nowadays it limps
along like many a once- bustling village in Jaffna.

The initial burst of violence was at a barber saloon on KKS road in Inuvil. Three versions
were available as to what happened when this article was being written in the wee hours
of Friday Aug 5th. According to the Armed forces Five soldiers from the nearby Inuvil
camp had gone there for a hair cut. Three stood outside with the firearms of the other
two who were getting a shave and hair -cut inside.

One soldier outside had accidently triggered off a gun. The shots fired hit the two
barbers inside the saloon. 24 year old Jeyaseelan Shantharuban was fatally
wounded.The bullet had penetrated his eye. 27 year old Thevathasan Logathasan was
also injured.But this was due to slivers of a shattered mirror struck by a bullet.Both were
taken to hospital but Shantharuban succumbed to his wounds. Logathasan is receiving
medical treatment

The second version is that three soldiers went to the saloon . Two went in and wanted a
hair cut while the third stood outside. Apparently the hair dressers refused to oblige and
there was an argument. Suddenly the third soldier standing outside the saloon lost his
cool and opened fire on Shantharuban and Logathasan.

The third version is that illicit liquour was available at the saloon. Soldiers from the
nearny camp often dropped in for a quick session under the pretext of taking a hair cut or
shave. Five or six soldiers had come on Thursday too. They took turns in gulping down
the stuff with two or three soldiers going in and the others standing outside. Suddenly
there was gunfire. It is not clear as to whether it was due to an accident or the result of a
heated argument

Residents of Inuvil who heard the gunshots and got excited saw the soldiers running
away from the saloon towards their camp. They went in and saw the bleeding barbers.
They were taken to Jaffna hospital where Shantharuban died. Then according to some
sections of the media the people of Inuvil got angray and launched an agitation outside
the army camp. This led to further violence.

Army spokesperson Brigadier Daya Ratnayake has predictably come out with the
\"accident\" version. The tiger controlled media is naturally focussing on the \"argument\"
version. Only a few Inuvil residents talk hesitantly about the \"alcohol\" version.

Brig. Ratnayake has also gone on record that the soldiers had no need to patronise the
barber saloon. There were facilities to get a haircut within the camp itself . So the soldiers
should not have patronised the saloon. If this is strictly so then the chances of the
soldierly visit being to imbibe liquour seems more likely. Since the gunshots were heard
at about 12.45 - 12. 50 pm the army boys could have nipped out for an appetiser before
lunch.

Both the \"accident\" story and the \"argument\" story seem weak. It is extremely puzzling
that only the two Tamil barbers were hit in the gunfire fire. Was it sheer accident that the
Sinhala soldiers escaped unscathed?As far as the argument story goes Inuvil residents
say that soldiers regularly patronised the saloon for clandestine booze and a business -
oriented yet cordial relationship flourished. If so the question of the barbers refusing
does not arise.

According to Ratnayake the soldiers involved in the incident were arrested by the military
police. They are being detained in Palaly. After a military inquiry they may also be
subjected to a Police inquiry. Thereafter Judicial proceedings are likely to be instituted. If
this process gets underway more facts may come to light. That is if no attempts are made
to cover up and thwart justice.

The tiger controlled media in Jaffna and elsewhere report that people of the area got
enraged and started agitating in front of the army camp. Army vehicles were stoned.
Police reinforcements were called in. The mobs were tear gassed and baton charged.
Jaffna SP Charles Wijewardane came to the scene and tried to pacify the mob. He was
seixed by some angry people. He was later found hacked to death at a spot about one
km away from the Inuvil junction.

What the pro - tiger media is trying to do is simple. The idea is to convey an impression
to the world at large that enraged Tamil civilians are running berserk. Tamil mobs are
engaging in violence. Tamil mobs are to be blamed for the atrocious killing of \"King
Charlie\" is the story planted by the pro - tiger elements. Unfortunately sections of the
independent media too are taking their cue from this line of thought. As for the
Scandinavian monitoring mission their statements on the incident are of a \"blissfully
ignorant\" state.

What really transpired at Inuvil after the incident in the barber saloon seems drastically
different to what the tiger media are projecting. Information gleaned through a few
telephone calls and e - mails to Jaffna provide a different insight. The rationale that Inuvil
people are reacting violently and going on the rampage because a local boy was killed is
utterly incorrect.

Given the caste configuration of Jaffna those of the barber caste belong to the
\"panchamar\" or so called depressed sector. People of higher castes do not agitate or run
amok engaging in violence against the armed forces simply because an \"ambattap
podian\" (Barber youth) has been killed. Harsh and unjust as it is the caste reality of
Jaffna is exactly that. Moreover the Barber caste in any given locality is few in number.
Therefore they are incapable of mustering a large\"casteist\" mob in any area. Thus the
explanation that Inuvil people are violently protesting Shantharubans death is
unbelievable.

Furthermore Shantharuban is not even from Inuvil. He is from Kondavil. So too is the
injured Logathasan. They usually travelled down to Inuvil from Kondavil for business.
What is more Shantharuban is not even an original native of Kondavil. He is actually from
Trincomalee. It is widely suspected in Inuvil that Shantharuban was an undercover
intelligence wing cadre of the LTTE. The interaction with boozing soldiers at the saloon
was a stratagem to gather intelligence it is suspected.

So when Shantharuban was killed amid controversial circumstances by the army the
tigers went on the offensive. According to available information the \"known\" tiger
intelligence of the area Sudharshan and political wing head of the area Eeswaran arrived
on the scene with some other tigers and helpers at about 1. 30 pm. Eeswaran was earlier
in charge of Nallur and said to be responsible for the murder of Thambirajah Subathiran
alias Robert of the EPRLF on June 15th 2005. A tiger assassin took him out from a class
room building at Vembady Girls High school, Jaffna while Robert was exercising on the
balcony of his residence.

Soon the tiger \"agitprop\" machinery went into action. It has become a regular feature of
post - ceasefire Jaffna life for so called civilian protests to be staged at the drop of a
\"panankaai\" (palmyrah fruit).The tigers trigger a fracas for the flimsiest of reasons if and
when they desire it. If the armed forces block acknowledged \"tigresses\" from wearing a
belt \"some\" civilians of Jaffna assemble on the spot to protest. If an army vehicle knocks
down a cibilan accidentally a civilian \"mob\" converges immediately to agitate. When
Mahinda Rajapakse tried to visit a tsunami refugee camp a \"crowd\" gathered immediately
to throw excreta and stale food.

Only the naive and stupid will believe that all these are spontaneoius reactions of the
Jaffna Tamil masses. If the civilian public was really so fierce and emotional then they
should agitate and protest for a number of real or perceived injustices including those
committed by the LTTE. But no! these protests are most selective. They are only directed
at the armed forces, Police or perceived political enemies. The tigers and their
supporters are sacred cows. this is the state of things in Govt controlled Jaffna after the
ceasefire of Feb 23rd 2002 let loose hordes of tiger cadres into the peninsula to do
political work.

The tigers rely on three categories both separately and jointly to stage their so called
protests. The first category is of full - fledged tiger cadres. Some of them are openly
active as political cadres. Some adopt a low profile. But they arrive at a particular scene
and initiate action in the name of civilians. The second category is of students and young
people sympathetic to the LTTE. Some of them have arms and combat training but are
not full members of the LTTE. The third category is of anti - social, lumpen elements.
These people can be bought over easily and are also extremely thrilled at doing their
mite for the tigers.

So when there is an incident which the tigers want to exploit this \"combine\" arrives on the
scene promptly. The bulk of the agitators and protesters for a demonstration are brought
from outside. Once these \"outsiders\" arrive the protest against the Police or Security
forces of a particular place commences. The local population keeps away. The ordinary
people know that they will have to interact with the security forces and Police regularly in
day to day life. So they do not want to antagonize them unnecessarily.Moreover they
know that they will be \"marked\" if and when war erupts.

This is what happened in Inuvil. The LTTE manipulated \"mob\" sailing under false \"civilian\"
colurs got to work. The Inuvil camp was stoned. Tires were burnt on KKS road and
transport stopped. At least two army vehicles were stoned and mobbed. The Police were
called in. Together the cops and soldiers tear gassed the demonstrators. They were also
baton charged. Ordinary civilians would have dispersed. But not tigers and tigerish
acolytes in civilian garb.

Jaffna SP Charlie Wijewardane arrived at the scene to pacify the demonstrators. He tried
to get down from the vehicle and move into the crowd with some policemen to talk sense
and peace to what he thought was a civilian mob. A squad of tigers led by a cadre called
Eesan grabbed him and some cops suddenly and dragged them into the nearby
boutique. They were forcibly detained there. The tiger led mob then demanded that the
soldiers responsible for the shooting be handed over to them in exchange for
Wijewardana and the other cops.

With the other Policemen informing the soldiers of this development a platoon came in
and took up positions outside the boutique. Fearing that the soldiers were going to storm
in the LTTE came out with a deceptive exercise. They told the security forces that Jaffna
Political Commissar Ilamparithy was on his way. The soldiers were asked to wait till he
arrived. The army and Police swallowed the bait and began waiting for Ilamparithy.

Meanwhile the tigers and their minions stripped Wijewardane and dressed him in a
sarong. They swiftly whisked him away from the boutique through a backdoor while the
khakied boys maintained vigil outside. Charlie was then taken to another house nearby.
He was then tortured inside. How long this went on no one knows. He was then taken out
at dusk and hacked to death at Palavi Odai between Inuvil and Suthumalai. This was
about a km from Inuvil junction.

A telephone message was received by the Police at about 6 pm that the Jaffna SP\'s body
was lying near a paddy foeld. A search party was organized.His body was found at about
7 pm near a fence near a paddy field. Charlie was wearing a sarong and the uniform
tunic. His cap was also on his head. His trousers were crumpled nearby. It appeared that
the killers had tried to dress him up in uniform.

His body bore torture marks and cuts made by sharp instruments. There were no
gunshot wounds presumably to show that this was the work of an enraged mob and not
gun toting tigers. The body was taken to the Palaly military hospital. Even before the
body reached Palaly pictures of the murdered \"King Charlie\"were available on tiger
websites.

A curfew was declared intitially for the Chunnakam Police division and then for the entire
district. The time too was extended until 5 am Saturday August 6th. Once curfew was
declared the clashes ended and \"mobs\" of Inuvil dispersed. Also unknown at the time of
writing is the fate of at least three to six cops taken captive by the mob. Additional
soldiers are deployed in Inuvil and stationed at the Kandasamy temple premises
temporarily. The LTTE mouthpiece \"Tamilnet\" is complaining that normal life in Jaffna has
been affected by the curfew.

The reasons for the abduction and brutal murder of Charlie Wijewardane are not clear at
the moment. Was the whole episode deliberately planned from the start or was it an
exercise that went cruelly beyond limits? Was \"King Charlie\" a victim of circumstances
beyond anyones control or was he an innocent pawn in a calculated move by the LTTE
to provoke the security forces and Police? These are specific questions that need exact
answers.

There is one thing however that the family , friends and fans of \"King Charlie\" along with
the Country at large need to realise. He was not a victim of a mindless Tamil civilian mob
as it is made out by the tiger media. It is not as the \"Tamilnet\" says - \"The Police imposed
the curfew Thursday evening following the killing of Mr. Charles Wijewardene, Jaffna
Superintendent of Police by an angered crowd after the killing of a saloon employee by
SLA army soldiers\".

If the so called mob was indeed reacting to the shooting then their target should have
been the army and not the SP. The way in which he was seized and cunningly moved to
another house in a sarong suggests a calculated design not spontaneous mob violence.
Tiger cadres had also deceived soldiers that Ilamparithy was coming. This reveals tiger
complicity. Moreover a frenzied mob would have torn Wijewardane to shreds not taken
him captive, tortured him and then hacked him to death.

The brutal and cowardly murder of Charles Wijewardane was committed by the tigers and
their accomplices. It was not the handiwork of a civilian mob. The degenerate tigers are
shamelessly framing up civilians for a crime they committed.The LTTE must bear
responsibility. No amount of whitewashing by the Norwegians can change that. Let us
hope that Justice will be done in this incident at least .

In the meantime \"King Charlie\" will play no more rugger. He brought immense pleasure to
countless rugby fans in the seventies and early eighties. I for one cannot forget the 1979
season where he excelled. The memory of those magic boots sending the oval ball
straight between and over those posts from particular angles and difficult distances will
never fade. [Cross Currents - Sunday Leader, Aug 7, 2005]