Kattankudy Muslims commemorate Tiger massacre in mosques

Terrorism knows no religious sanctity, nor does it care for lives of infants, children, women and clergy. This was once again proved eighteen years ago when tiger terrorists cold-bloodedly butchered 147 Muslim devotees, praying in mosques in the pre-dominantly Muslim town of Kattankudy, Batticaloa in the East.

The massacre at Kattankudy that shook the nation and drew worldwide condemnation was meticulously pre-planned and executed in secrecy by tiger terrorists who had disguised themselves as Muslim prayers and entered the Meera Jumma and Husseinia mosques when hundreds of devotees were attending Friday Isha prayers.

Disguised terrorists armed with automatic weapons crossed the lagoon and entered Kattankudy city, about 224 km east of Colombo on that fateful night, with the intention of committing this horrendous genocide for ethnic-cleansing.

Grief stricken Muslims from Kattankudy surrounding Eravur and Ottamavady areas, ever since the tragedy struck have been commemorating the death of their relatives, neighbours and friends after declaring a special “Day of Mourning” for the area. Sunday’s special Jumma prayers organised by Kattankudy Muslims’ Commemorative Committee are set to recall gruesome memories of the massacre at the Kattankudy town.

All shops and business ventures would remain closed in honour of the slain. According to M.C. Anzar, Divisional Secretary for Kattankudy, leading Moulavis, Parliamentarians, Mayor and community leaders in the area are expected to join memorial services with bereaved families, beginning at about 5.30 a.m. today.

As hundreds of Muslims knelt in prayer at that critical hour in both mosques, in close proximity to each other, those disguised terrorists suddenly went on spraying automatic fire and hurling hand grenades at the worshippers, creating panic and havoc among devotees.

Most of the victims were shot in the back or side. About 100 worshippers died on the spot, but the final death toll rose to 147 as many more succumbed to injuries in hospitals, afterwards.

Similarly, on August 11, 1990, eight days after the Kattankudy massacre, terrorists carried out a similar barbaric bloodbath, attacking a Muslim village in nearby Eravur. The Eravur village massacre, to the horror of the civilized world claimed the lives of some 173 innocent Muslims including infants and women.

Harrowing eye witness accounts appeared in the international press over the next few days, survivors recalled the ghastly experience.

Speaking to the “New York Times” Mohammed Ibrahim, a 40-year-old businessman has said; “I was kneeling and praying when the terrorists started shooting. The firing went on for about 15 minutes. I escaped without being hit and found myself among bodies all over the place.”

Mohammed Arif, a 17-year-old student who also survived the massacre has reportedly told the same newspaper; “Before I escaped from a side door and scaled a wall, I saw a Tiger terrorist put a gun into the mouth of a Muslim boy and pull the trigger”.