A concert set to take place in Jaffna featuring Tamil Nadu-based singer Unnikrishnan was cancelled after threats from supporters of EPDP leader, Douglas Devananda.
Posters saying the singer had insulted Douglas and could not “sing on our soil” until he had apologised, were pasted on promotional walls all over Jaffna town.
Organisers cancelled the Jaffna concert planned for Friday night, fearing disturbances from EPDP supporters.
In 2012, Unnikrishnan publicly apologised for accepting an honour from the EPDP leader at the end of a concert in Nallur, saying he had not been aware at the time that Douglas was “the leader of a paramilitary group responsible for killing scores of Tamils.”
The singer’s concert, also featuring his daughter Uthara Unnikrishnan, went ahead as planned in Trincomalee on Saturday night, as well as a concert at the Vipulananda fine arts institute in Batticaloa.
An eminent figure in Tamil Nadu’s classical and cinematic music industries, P. Unnikrishnan spoke in 2012 of “having earned a place in the hearts of Eelam Tamils through songs on liberation”, famously recording the Maaveerar tribute song Amma un pillai uyirodu illai.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
