The detection of a stock of live ammunition, a detonator and parts of an assault rifle in a library building at the University of Jaffna has raised serious concern among security forces in Jaffna.
The detection was made jointly by the Police and the STF on Thursday. The items found concealed in the building included parts of a T-56 assault rifle, two magazines, three small shell rounds, and a reusable Claymore mine detonating device, wires, medical bandages, saline, and other field supplies.
All items have since been handed over to the Kopay Police Station, and they would be produced before the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court, police sources said.
While the find has alarmed local security units due to the freshness of the ammunition, University of Jaffna officials have claimed the materials were from the wartime period, possibly hidden by unknown persons during the conflict.
However, investigators have cast doubt about that claim.
According to security sources, the university’s library building has undergone two rounds of post-war renovations, during which no such items were found, raising questions about whether the weapons were concealed there recently.
Security forces have tightened surveillance in and around Jaffna following the discovery, which they described as “deeply concerning” given the timing and condition of the weapons.
Text and Pics by Dinasena Rathugamage
