Chunnakam police assaulted Tamil youths on Maaveerar Naal and harassed locals coming to their defence, according to a complaint filed at the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission.
A local trader from Punnalaikattuvan, in Valikamam South, said he was verbally abused, assualted and had false drug charges laid on him by police when he attempted to intervene while the police were beating Tamil youths outside shops in the area.
The trader, who had gone to the scene on his motorcycle, fled on foot upon being attacked and returned later to recover his motorcycle. However police said that 200 grams of cannabis had been found in his vehicle.
The trader filed the complaint with the human rights commission on Thursday.
The incidents caused tension in the area with the region's locals being well acquainted with the Chunnakam police department's history of abuses. Punnalaikattuvan village's name was used in false burglary charges to arrest a Tamil youth who was later murdered in custody in 2011. Locals say the murdered youth, Sriskantharajah Sumanan, was initially detained on charges of organising Maaveerar Naal commemorations.
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.
