AI-Generated Image Falsely Shared As Remains Of Child Found In Chemmani Mass Grave

Excavation efforts at the Chemmani–Sinthupathi mass grave site in Jaffna are uncovering human remains almost daily, once again drawing attention to long-standing allegations of extra judicial killings tied to Sri Lanka’s civil conflict.

In this context, a Facebook post carrying a collage of two images has gone viral: one showing a child in a blue and white school uniform sporting a blue bag, and the other showing a skeleton excavated from the Chemmani mass grave, with a similar-looking blue bag. The caption in Tamil reads, “This ‘boy,’ who was killed and buried by them, was on his way to school with his light blue school bag. Is it a good practice to bury personal belongings with their rightful owners? The skeleton of a child recently excavated from the Chemmani mass grave.”

The same image was widely shared on Facebook, TikTok, X and YouTube with various emotional captions. Examples of the posts can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Chemmani Mass Grave Excavation Brings Back Spotlight On Horrors Of War

The Chemmani mass graves are a series of burial sites in northern Sri Lanka that gained international attention due to their links to the country’s civil war and allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

The site first came to prominence in 1998 when a Sri Lankan soldier, on trial for the rape and murder of a Tamil schoolgirl, claimed that hundreds of people who disappeared from the Jaffna peninsula in 1995 and 1996 were killed and buried in mass graves near Chemmani.

The most recent and ongoing excavation at the Chemmani-Sindubathi burial site in Jaffna was done in two stages. A 10-day test excavation, which ended on June 7, uncovered at least 19 skeletons. This excavation was launched following a court order after workers clearing land for a construction project in February 2025 found fragments of human bones.

The second stage, a 45-day excavation, began on June 26, 2025. On the fourth day of this phase, forensic investigators uncovered clothing fragments, small glass bangles, and a blue cloth bag with English letters near one of the skeletal remains, which measured approximately three feet in length.

Fact Check / Verification

To verify whether the image circulating on social media is genuine, we conducted a keyword search on social media platforms and found original images captured at the excavation site by Kumanan Kana, an authorized journalist based in north who continuously covers issues in the north, especially this excavation site, and posts updated on his social media. We also found these images used in reports on the matter by mainstream media outlets such as Daily Mirror, News Wire, and Island.

“During the fourth day of the second phase of excavations on Sunday (29.06.2025), forensic investigators uncovered clothing fragments, small glass bangles, and a blue cloth bag bearing English letters near one of the skeletal remains, which measured approximately three feet in length. Preliminary reports suggest that the blue cloth bag resembles school bags once distributed as humanitarian aid by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to schoolchildren in the North and East during the conflict period. The discovery has raised concerns that some of the remains could belong to children,” a report on Daily Mirror published on June 30, 2025 read.

However, none of the reports confirm the identity of the skeleton, or revealed whom the remains belonged to.

We then closely analysed the viral image and compared it with the original photos from the excavation photos. We noticed several elements that indicated that the image was not authentic, such as the fact that both the child and the skeleton in the viral image appeared to have unusually soft features and an unnatural structure of the skeleton. 

This forced us to analyze the image using AI detection tools such as Hive Moderation and WasItAI, which confirmed that the image was AI-generated.

In addition, lawyer Ranitha Gnanarajah, representing the victims’ families in the Chemmani mass grave case, stated that legal action will be taken against anyone who uses artificial intelligence (AI) to alter images of human remains related to the site. She pointed out that manipulating genuine images in a way that could obstruct a criminal investigation may constitute contempt of court, and those responsible could face legal consequences.

Conclusion

The image circulating on social media, which claims to show both a schoolboy and his remains discovered in the Chemmani mass grave, is AI-generated. The identity of the child to whom the remains belonged have not yet been confirmed.

Our Sources
HIVE Moderation: AI Image Detector
Wasitai: AI Image Detector
Report by Amnesty International, about the initial investigation into the Chemmani mass graves, published on June 22, 1999.
News report in Sunday Times, about the first phase of the Chemmani excavation, published on June 15, 2025.
News report in Daily Mirror, about the ongoing progress of the Chemmani excavation, published on June 30, 2025.
News report in News Wire, about theongoing progress of the Chemmani excavation, published on June 30, 2025.
News report in The Island, ongoing progress of the Chemmani excavation, published on July 1, 2025.
Facebook post by journalist Kumanan Kana, featuring original images taken at the Chemmani excavation site, posted on June 29, 2025.
YouTube video by News First, featuring a statement by lawyer Ranitha Gnanarajah, posted on June 30, 2025.
X post by journalist Kumanan Kana, featuring a statement by lawyer Ranitha Gnanarajah, posted on June 30, 2025.