Police Open Fire at a Tractor in Kodikamam
26-Oct-2025.
Relatives of a young man have alleged that the police opened fire on him while he was dumping soil transported by a tractor from a well-digging site onto a flooded area in Kodikamam.
The youth, Manickavasagar Mathusan (aged 18), from the area, was critically injured in the police shooting that occurred on the night of 24 October in Kodikamam. He is currently receiving treatment at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital in critical condition.
According to his relatives:
A well was being dug in the Kodikamam area. The excavated soil was being transported by tractor to be dumped near a shop where floodwater had accumulated. While this was taking place, the police opened fire on the young man.
There was no need for the police to open fire. If they had suspicions, they could have conducted an investigation.
Now the police claim they opened fire because the tractor driver attempted to escape. But can a tractor loaded with soil really speed away at 100 km per hour?
If the police were chasing the tractor, the shooting should have been from behind. But bullet marks are found on the sides of the tractor, showing that the shots were fired from the side. Bullet holes can be seen on the tractor’s panels, and gunshot wounds are visible on Mathusan’s hip.
After firing on the stationary tractor, the police have falsely told the media that they fired at a fleeing vehicle.
They demanded a fair investigation into the incident. They also called on all parties to raise their voices for justice for the 18-year-old youth, who has taken on the burden of his family after losing his father.
In response, Kodikamam Police said:
When they attempted to stop the tractor, which was carrying sand without a permit, the driver drove it toward the officer-in-charge of the station.
A police officer standing nearby then fired warning shots into the air in self-defense. However, since the driver continued to move the tractor without stopping, the police opened fire at the vehicle, resulting in the young man being injured. He was later taken to the hospital for treatment. The tractor has been seized as evidence, and further investigations are ongoing.
