The killings were in apparent reprisal for the killings by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of two soldiers near a location called the 58th mile post on February 11, 1996 about half an hour earlier. According to one witness, a group of soldiers, some of whom were drunk, gathered at Dehiwatte junction and then proceeded towards Kumarapuram, shouting "death to the Tamils".
The killings were carried out as revenge for the LTTE's attack on two soldiers near the 58th mile post on February 11, 1996. According to a witness, a group of drunk soldiers gathered at Dehiwatte junction and then marched towards Kumarapuram, shouting "death to the Tamils".