[4] The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,[7] the government of Sri Lanka,[1] and independent observers such as the University Teachers for Human Rights[3] and others[2][5][6][8] have called it a massacre of civilians.

This was enabled partly because of the availability of western-style education provided by American missionaries and others in the Tamil-dominant Jaffna peninsula.

The resultant discriminative measures such as the Sinhala Only Act and the policy of standardisation, as well as riots and pogroms that targeted the minority Sri Lankan Tamils, led to the formation of a number of rebel groups advocating independence for Sri Lankan Tamils.

In 1987 the governments of Sri Lanka and India entered into an agreement and invited the Indian Army to be used as peacekeepers.

Eventually the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) came into conflict with one of the rebel groups, namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

By October 21, 1987, which was Diwali, a high Hindu holiday, over 70 dead bodies had accumulated in the mortuary as a result of shelling and other military activities.

The massacre and other alleged atrocities of the war are covered in the award-winning 2002 film In the Name of Buddha directed by Rajesh Touchriver.