By Raj Sivanathan –

Raj Sivanathan

The soil of Jaffna still carries voices from the hospital wards of 1987. The question is whether the world will listen or look away. The Tamil people of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province continue to live with memories of unhealed wounds. Among the most haunting is the Jaffna Hospital tragedy of October 1987, when a symbol of care and compassion became the scene of one of the most distressing wartime incidents in modern Sri Lankan history.

A Hospital Caught Between Two Fires

On 21–22 October 1987, during heavy fighting in Jaffna, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) advanced towards the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, believing LTTE rebels were using the facility as cover. The hospital, meant to be a protected civilian zone under international humanitarian law, became trapped between advancing troops and armed resistance.

Memorial wall at Jaffna Teaching Hospital honouring the doctors and staff killed in the October 1987 incident

Eyewitnesses described chaos and panic. Medical staff pleaded for safety as bullets ripped through the wards. Patients, already weak and wounded, became unintended victims.

Among those killed was Dr Arunasalam Sivapathasundaram, a respected paediatrician remembered for his courage in shielding patients and colleagues before being fatally shot. Two other senior doctors and many civilians also perished in the crossfire.

A Tragedy Born of Misjudgement and Desperation

The tragedy at Jaffna Hospital was not the result of a single deliberate act, but rather a culmination of confusion, misjudgement, and desperation amid the fog of war. The IPKF faced the near-impossible task of distinguishing combatants from civilians, while the LTTE’s use of civilian areas for tactical advantage exposed non-combatants to grave danger.

When humanitarian principles are set aside—whether through military haste or militant concealment—the first victims are always civilians.

Dr. A. Sivapathasundaram, Paediatrician at Jaffna Hospital, who lost his life protecting patients and colleagues during the 1987 tragedy

A Wound Without Closure

No independent inquiry was ever held to establish the full facts or to determine responsibility. For the families of victims and the broader Tamil community, this silence deepened grief and mistrust.

The Jaffna Hospital tragedy remains one of the most painful reminders of how easily humanitarian boundaries collapse in conflict—and how the innocent bear the burden of decisions made by others.

A Call for Reflection and Responsibility

Decades later, Jaffna still remembers the hospital tragedy not with hatred, but with sorrow. It calls for truth and remembrance, not revenge. It reminds all parties—governments, militaries, and movements—that hospitals, schools, and places of refuge must remain sacred, even in war.

The legacy of Dr Sivapathasundaram endures as a moral reminder of courage amid chaos. His life and sacrifice stand as a plea for accountability and a warning of what happens when compassion is overrun by conflict.

A Personal Reflection

Dr Arunasalam Sivapathasundaram was my wife’s uncle, whom I had the privilege of meeting in the 1980s in London. He was a gentle, compassionate professional—a paediatrician deeply dedicated to both his community and his family. Even today, he is remembered with great affection and respect. His wife and children, along with all of us who knew him, continue to feel his absence profoundly.

Many families, like his, lost their loved ones in the Jaffna Hospital tragedy. Incidents of such horror—or any act of violence driven by political or ethnic divisions—should never again occur in Sri Lanka.

As a nation, we have lost far too many lives across all communities and backgrounds, compared to most other countries. It is time for us to move beyond our painful past.

The current government and the President’s stance of “no war and no racism” is a most welcome and hopeful message.

Let us all, as Sri Lankans, pray and work together for a peaceful and united future.

“The soil of Jaffna still carries voices from the hospital wards of 1987. Will the world listen or look away?”