A 1987 incident in which Indian peacekeeping troops killed 60–70 civilians and staff at Jaffna Teaching Hospital, with no prosecutions following.
Key Facts
- Date
- October 21–22, 1987
- Victims (low estimate)
- 60 people
- Victims (high estimate)
- 70 people
- Perpetrating force
- Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)
- Location
- Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Jaffna, Sri Lanka
- Prosecutions
- None; no soldiers were prosecuted
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Indian Peace Keeping Force was deployed in Sri Lanka during the civil war to enforce a peace accord. Amid ongoing conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, IPKF troops entered Jaffna Teaching Hospital on October 21–22, 1987, a site that should have been protected under the laws of armed conflict.
IPKF soldiers entered the Jaffna Teaching Hospital and killed between 60 and 70 patients and staff. The LTTE, the Sri Lankan government, and independent observers including the University Teachers for Human Rights classified the killings as a massacre of civilians. The Indian Army contended its soldiers were fired upon and that the deaths resulted from crossfire with rebels.
The incident drew widespread condemnation and became a lasting source of grievance regarding the IPKF's conduct in Sri Lanka. No soldiers were prosecuted by the Indian government, leaving questions of accountability unresolved and deepening Tamil distrust of the Indian military presence.