Bail rejected for 5 Lankan cops in Tamil students’ murder

The Jaffna magistrate rejected their bail petition and remanded them in custody for two more weeks. On October 20, two students of the Jaffna University were gunned down by police in Sri Lanka’s Tamil-dominated Northern Province, prompting authorities to arrest five policemen. The students were shot dead at a police checkpoint in Jaffna. Though police initially denied shooting the students, a post-mortem report found bullets in one of the bodies. President Maithripala Sirisena had ordered a special probe and compensation for the families of the students. Several days later, at least two state intelligence officers operating in Jaffna were assaulted by members of the suspected Ava Group. This led to a police crackdown on the group with two being arrested. The Jaffna residents complained that the group was responsible for large scale intimidation, extortion and attacks on individuals. Minister Rajith Senaratne blamed former president Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of being behind the group to create unrest in the north.