Tampalakamam massacre happened on February 1, 1998 when eight (8) minority Sri Lankan Tamil civilians were taken to the nearby police station and shot dead by Sri Lankan police and majority Sinhalese home guards. The victims include a 13- and a 17-year-old boy. One of the school boys killed was Arumugam Segaran, who had his penis cut off and placed in his mouth by the perpetrators. Later one of the accused in the murder case was shot dead by unknown gunmen