# Sri Lanka's rights commission says militarisation persists in the Tamil North and East

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-10-18/hrcsl-militarisation-north-east-report/
Date: 18 October 2026 (2026-10-18)
Source: The Hindu, World
UPSC papers: GS2
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** A report by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka says "militarization remains a persistent feature of governance and land use" in the Tamil-majority North and East, 17 years after the war.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has released a report on the human rights situation in the Tamil-majority Northern and Eastern Provinces, 17 years after the civil war ended. It says 'militarization remains a persistent feature of governance and land use' there. The military runs farms and pre-schools, mainly through the Civil Security Department. The report calls the military's occupation of private land in Valikamam North since the 1990s 'one of the most egregious and longstanding instances' of its kind, and says Sri Lanka has no comprehensive security sector reform plan.

The report covers ten areas, including disappearances, mass graves, memorialisation, surveillance, land, religious freedom and the expulsion of about 75,000 Northern Muslims by the LTTE in 1990. At the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna more than 580 skeletal remains have been recovered, but the Commission found no standard procedure for such investigations and no affordable DNA analysis. It recommends speeding up the return of land, ending the use of national security as a blanket justification for acquisition, withdrawing the military from agriculture and education, stopping the use of anti-terror laws against memorial events, independent funding for the Office on Missing Persons and a voluntary DNA bank.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who also holds the Defence portfolio, ordered faster release of war-era land in August 2026. Defence Ministry spokesman Brigadier Franklin Joseph said over 90% of military-held land has been returned, with delays caused by unknown owners or missing documents. Tamil MP Thurairasa Ravikaran disputed this, saying large areas remain under military, archaeology and wildlife department control. The HRCSL, set up under Act No. 21 of 1996, cannot enforce its own recommendations. For India, the findings revive its long-standing call for full implementation of the 13th Amendment, which followed the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord.

## Prelims facts

- The HRCSL's October 2026 report says militarisation remains a persistent feature of governance and land use in Sri Lanka's Northern and Eastern Provinces.
- More than 580 skeletal remains have been recovered from the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna.
- Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry says over 90% of military-held land has been returned; Tamil MPs dispute the figure.
- The HRCSL was created by Act No. 21 of 1996 and cannot enforce its own recommendations.
- The 13th Amendment, which followed the July 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord, created nine provincial councils, but land and police powers were never fully devolved.

## Quick recall

- **Which Act created the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka?** The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act No. 21 of 1996.
- **How many areas of concern does the HRCSL's October 2026 report on the North and East cover?** Ten.
- **How many skeletal remains have been recovered from the Chemmani mass grave?** More than 580.
- **Where is Chemmani?** In Jaffna, Northern Province.
- **Through which body does Sri Lanka's military run farms and pre-schools in the North and East?** The Civil Security Department.
- **How many Northern Muslims did the LTTE expel in 1990?** About 75,000.
- **Who signed the Indo-Lanka Accord in July 1987?** Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President J.R. Jayewardene.
- **How many provincial councils did the 13th Amendment create?** Nine, one for each province.

## Prelims practice question

The 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, often raised by India, is associated with:

(a) Abolition of the executive presidency
(b) Creation of provincial councils following the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord
(c) Recognition of Tamil as the sole official language
(d) Establishment of the Office on Missing Persons

Answer: (b) Creation of provincial councils following the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord. The 13th Amendment followed the Indo-Lanka Accord signed in July 1987 by Rajiv Gandhi and J.R. Jayewardene and created nine provincial councils to devolve power.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2013, GS2: In respect of India-Sri Lanka relations, discuss how domestic factors influence foreign policy. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q313-respect-india-sri-lanka-relations-domestic-factors-influence/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use the report to show why the Tamil issue keeps shaping India's Sri Lanka policy through the demand for devolution.
- UPSC Mains 2021, GS2: Though the Human Rights Commissions have contributed immensely to the protection of human rights in India, yet they have failed to assert themselves against the mighty and powerful. Analyzing their structural and practical limitations, suggest remedial measures. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q051-though-human-rights-commissions-have-contributed-immensely/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use the HRCSL as a comparative example of a human rights body whose findings lack binding force.

## Mains practice question

Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission reports that militarisation persists in the Tamil North and East seventeen years after the civil war. Discuss how this affects post-war reconciliation and India's interests, and suggest India's approach. (150 words)

### Model answer

The HRCSL's October 2026 report says "militarization remains a persistent feature of governance and land use" in Sri Lanka's Northern and Eastern Provinces.

## Effect on reconciliation
- The military runs farms and pre-schools; private land in Valikamam North has been held since the 1990s.
- No security sector reform plan exists; anti-terror laws are used against memorial events.
- Over 580 remains at Chemmani show disappearances remain unresolved.

## India's interests
- Tamil welfare affects Tamil Nadu and India's regional standing.
- Devolution under the 13th Amendment, from the 1987 Accord, remains unfinished.

## India's approach
- Back faster land return; Colombo says over 90% is returned, but Tamil MPs dispute this.
- Press for land and police powers to provincial councils.
- Fund livelihoods, housing and DNA capacity in the North and East.

Quiet, development-led diplomacy can help Sri Lanka turn peace into reconciliation.

## The basics

## Why this matters
Seventeen years after Sri Lanka's civil war ended in 2009, the country's own Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) says the military still shapes daily life in the Tamil-majority Northern and Eastern Provinces. For India, which shares close ethnic, cultural and security ties with the Tamils of Sri Lanka and has long pressed for devolution of power, this is a live neighbourhood issue for GS2.

## Who is the HRCSL?
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka was created by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act No. 21 of 1996 and set up in March 1997. It investigates complaints of rights violations by executive and administrative action, advises the government on laws, and monitors places of detention. Its recommendations cannot be enforced by the Commission itself. See Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka.

## What militarisation means here
Militarisation is the spread of the armed forces into civilian life beyond security. The report says the military runs farms and pre-schools through the Civil Security Department. It says Sri Lanka lacks a comprehensive security sector reform plan to shrink this role. Read Militarisation and post-war reconciliation.

## India's angle
India and Sri Lanka signed the Indo-Lanka Accord in July 1987, leading to Sri Lanka's 13th Amendment, which created provincial councils. India has repeatedly urged Colombo to implement it fully. Read The 13th Amendment and the Indo-Lanka Accord.

The report's demands on disappearances and DNA testing are explained in Enforced disappearances and the Chemmani mass grave.

## Sources

- https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/militarisation-and-surveillance-persist-tamil-north-east-17-years-after-war-sri-lankas
- https://srilankabrief.org/hrcsl-warns-of-persistent-human-rights-violations-in-north-and-east-seventeen-years-after-war/
- https://www.archyde.com/hrcsl-flags-militarisation-in-sri-lankas-north/
- https://ua.news/en/world/komisiia-z-prav-liudini-shri-lanki-povidomila-pro-militarizatsiiu-pivnochi-ta-skhodu-the-hindu
- https://www.hurights.or.jp/archives/focus/section2/2001/12/the-human-rights-commission-of-sri-lanka.html
- https://www.newsfirst.lk/2022/09/13/india-s-stringent-call-in-geneva-for-13a-what-is-the-13th-amendment