21 year-old poor Tamil lady hanged and beaten in the Busa Army Camp

by Harshi C. Perera

(December 04, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) A Tamil lady from Badulla in the plantation sector, working as domestic servant was arrested in Colombo following a complaint by her master and his wife that she is associated with the LTTE.

Sadashivam Krishnameni came to Colombo to earn a living and help ease her parents’ financial difficulties. She found a job as a domestic servant in a house in Seeduwa in the suburb of Colombo. The head of the house is an employee of the Sri Lanka national airways ‘Sri Lankan’ and his wife is employed with the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Krishnameni was working there for about a week, when the police from the Seeduwa police station came to the house and checked her national identity card. The policemen ordered her to report at the police station to record a confession.
Her master and wife accompanied her to the police station. Instead of recording her confession as told, the police detained her in the police station for two months without producing her before the Court.

It has come to light that her master and his wife had complained to the police that they suspected Krishnameni is working for the LTTE. Their claim was based on several calls received on her mobile phone everyday.

Krishameni was handcuffed in the police station and made to sit on a chair for the whole day – the police did not provide her even a mat. Frustrated and fearful Krishnameni one day decided to commit suicide unable bear the experience at the police station. She escaped from the police station when her handcuffs were removed. But the police were able to apprehend her soon and brought her to the police station. She was repeatedly assaulted by the police.

Two days after repeated assaults, Krishameni was taken to the Busa army camp, where she underwent further abuse. The army personnel at the amp hanged her by her thumbs and assaulted her repeatedly. They had made verbal threats that they would strip and sexually assault her.

At this point she had no choice other then to lie to mitigate the torture and sexual assault by the army. She under duress claimed that she is a member of the LTTE. Krishameni, whose father is a laborer and the mother a tea pluker from Badulla was unjustly labeled as a KOTTIYA (TIGER). She has been detained in the Bussa army camp for the past two years.

Now Sadashivam Krishnameni, the Suspect Number 2248, is held in the women’s ward at the Welikada prison. She was remanded on October 2, 2010. Her case number 4483 and is pending before the Number 8 Magistrate Court at Hulfsdrof.