Rev. Fr. Nicholaspillai Packiyaranjith, 40 years old and 10 years in the Priestly Ministry, the Mannar district coordinator of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) was killed in a Claymore explosion on the Pooneryn (Poonakari) Road, at Kalvi'laan, in the evening on Thursday the 26th September 2007, when he was taking relief food and humanitarian supplies to the refugee camp and to the Orphanage at Vidathalvu.

Fr. Ranjith was traveling in a hiace van with a driver Mr. Eugene and while Father Ranjith was killed on the spot and his driver Mr. Eugene a staff member of JRS was seriously injuried and presently being treated at Vavuniya Hospital

Fr. Ranjith had been visiting displaced people of Mannar with food supplies and relief goods even in far away places and had been working very hard inspite of the several difficulties due to the security situation in the area and had been very concern about the helpless situation of the people. Religion or the caste was not a problem for Fr. Ranjith, he reached out everyone and never wanted to abandon anyone displaced.

On 26th September, Fr. Ranjith with Mr. Eugene had left in a van load of relief supplies, trying to reach Vidathalvu, which he could have reached through Uylankulam within a half hour. Since the road was closed, he travlled almost 200km through Vavuniya, Omanthai and after reaching Mankulam, Fr. Ranjith has started driving thinking that Eugene his driver must be tired. It is on Pooneryn (Poonakari) Road, he was attacked with a claymore. The government agent in Mannar Mr. Nicholaspillai himself said in his speech at the funeral, "I regret that Uylankulam road is closed, had it been opened Fr. Ranjith wouldn't have got killed".