Two Tamil women have been admitted to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital Tuesday night with gunshot injuries to their stomach and legs after SL policemen had opened fire on the villagers at Panai-a’ruppaan in Kokkaddichchoalai police division around 8:00 p.m. The SL Police sources in Batticaloa city claimed that the villagers had initially attacked their policemen setting fire to a police vehicle and causing injuries to three policemen when the policemen attempted to arrest illicit brewers of kasippu liquor. There is no independent verification of the police claim at the time of this reporting. According to initial reports from the area, SL soldiers and armed policemen who had rounded up the area opened fire causing injuries and a search operation was going on in the area.
The injured Tamil women were identified as 52-year-old Valliyamma and 24-year-old Sarojini Arumguam by the medical sources at the hospital.
Medical sources said two Sinhala police constables, identified as Weerasinghe (60217) and Wickramasinghe (43029), have also been admitted with assault injuries.
According to the SL police version, 8 policemen had gone to the village to arrest illicit brewers. Armed action was taken after their vehicle was set on fire and three of the policemen had sustained injuries, the police claimed.
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