What Happened
In 1981, anti-Tamil riots erupted in Jaffna preceding the burning of the Jaffna Public Library. Sinhalese mobs, with police complicity, attacked Tamil civilians and properties. 3 Tamils were killed in the violence. The pogrom was a precursor to the destruction of the Jaffna Library which contained over 97,000 books and manuscripts, an irreplaceable collection of Tamil cultural heritage.
Perpetrators
Sinhalese mobs and police
Sources & References
- NESOHR - Lest We Forget Volume I