Talisman, coin found with skeleton at Chemmani mass grave

A talisman bearing the number 516 and a one-rupee coin have been recovered alongside a human skeleton excavated from the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna on Tuesday (11).

Officials overseeing the excavation said the items were found with one of the human skeletons unearthed from the mass grave located near the Chemmani Siththupatha cemetery.

The excavation of the Chemmani mass grave has now continued for 103 days, with a total of 539 human skeletons recovered so far.

The excavation is being conducted under the supervision of the Jaffna Magistrate C. Leninkumar.

Teams led by Professor of Archaeology Raj Somadeva and Judicial Medical Officer Selliah Pranavan are involved in the excavation, along with forensic medical officers and police personnel.

Students of the University of Jaffna and staff of the Nallur Pradeshiya Sabha are also participating in the ongoing excavation.

The discovery of the talisman and coin was made as excavation teams continued their painstaking work at the site, where hundreds of human remains have been unearthed.

The latest findings are expected to be examined as part of the ongoing judicial and forensic investigations into the mass grave.